A Second Chance

What would you give for a second chance? What would you do to have a fresh start in which all the mistakes of your past were forgotten? What would it mean to you to have your slate wiped clean and be returned to innocence?

That is exactly what God offers us at the beginning of each day. With the rising of the sun, we have a chance to start over again, to learn from the mistakes of our past and make healthy, holy choices. Every minute of every day, we can turn to Him, ask for forgiveness and rely on Him for the strength to do good. When we repent, God forgives the wrong we have done, picks us up, cleans us off and sets us back on our feet. The fresh start we need is as simple as turning to our Heavenly Father with a sincerely sorrowful heart.

That is the promise of today’s readings.

Through the prophet Ezekiel, God teaches us that He does not want the sinner to die but to live. No matter what choices we have made in the past, no matter what sins we have committed, no matter what may have happened to us as a result, we can find forgiveness in our Heavenly Father. As a good and loving Father, He is not eager to punish us but desires to restore our friendship with Him and to give us all we need to live a full and abundant life.

In today’s gospel, Jesus carries the same message forward in the parable about the two sons. One said “no” but changed his mind and went into the vineyard. The other said “yes” but, then, did not obey his father. The meaning is clear. If we have failed in the past, if we have said “no” to God, we can still change our answer. Today we can decide to say “yes” and change the course of our lives. In fact, Jesus explains that even tax collectors and prostitutes - who were considered the greatest of sinners - were entering the Kingdom of God because they believed in Him. The same is true for us.

If you are looking for that fresh start, if you sincerely desire a new beginning, our Heavenly Father is offering it to you today. Simply turn to Him in your heart and let Him know that you are ready to change. Let Him know how tired and fed up you are with the choices you have made and the consequences of your sinfulness. Ask Him to be the center of your life and real change will begin to happen. Today can be the beginning of a whole new life for you.

The next step to take would be going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. God offers confession to us not as a way for us to relive all the sinful choices of our past but as a means for us to be relieved of them. Jesus gave His apostles and those who would follow them the power to forgive sins in His name precisely for this reason. That is why we have understood the Sacrament of Reconciliation to be a “second baptism.” It cleanses us of our guilt and restores the innocence of our baptism. It also heals the wounds that sin has created within us and strengthens us to make good and holy choices going forward. No matter how firm our resolution to change may be, if we do not turn to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are bound to fail. We need the strength that is given to us in this beautiful sacrament to make any real and lasting renewal in our lives.

Our “yes” to God cannot only be a one time event. It is something which we have to renew on a daily basis. That way we can make progress not only in avoiding bad choices but in making good and holy ones. It can be as easy as saying to God, “I say ‘yes’ to you today, Lord.” By calling to mind our commitment every day and several times during the day, we are strengthened in our resolve to follow Jesus.

One great spiritual practice that helps us with this is called the “morning offering”. As soon as we wake up in the morning, we offer the day to God, commit ourselves to giving glory to Him and ask for the strength to make holy choices. Any good prayer book should have a morning offering in it or one can be found online. Along with daily prayer, reflection on Scripture and Mass, it is an indispensable way for us to remain firm in saying “yes” to our Heavenly Father.

Finally, it will happen from time to time that we will fall. We can be dragged down by the people around us or our old habits can return. Even the holiest of people can fail. When that happens, God does not want us wallowing in guilt or, even worse, giving up and returning to our old way of life. Instead, we should turn immediately to Him, ask for forgiveness and go to confession as soon as possible. As Pope Francis says continually, “God never tires of forgiving us”. We may feel frustrated that we are confessing the same sins over and over again, but God understands our weakness and willing offers us the chance to begin again.

Today is a new day filled with possibilities. This can be the day we say “yes” to God and experience all the graces and blessings He has to offer us. No matter how we may have responded in the past, no matter how often we may have said “no” to all that God was offering us, today can be the day all that changes. Today can be the day we say “yes”. And if we do say “yes” not only with our lips but with the choices we make, we can be sure that our lives will never be the same.

A New Start

Imagine a man coming home to his wife and saying, "Honey, we have been married a long time, and I have been faithful to you all these years. Now, I think I've earned the right to cheat on you and have an affair."

How do you think the wife would take that? Do you think she'd agree that he had a right to cheat on her because he'd been a good husband for so long? What would she think about his commitment to their marriage?

Imagine, on the other hand, a man coming home to his wife in tears. They also have been married a long time, but he hasn't always been faithful. He tells her that he wants to change, that he wants to work at having a strong marriage. He asks her to forgive him and to take him back.

Which man do you think got a better reception from his wife? Which marriage do you think had the better chance of surviving?

In the first reading from the prophet Ezekiel, God is describing much the same situation. The man who has been good all his life and then decides to fall into sin will die because of it. And, the man who has lived an evil life and then decides to change will save his life. The good man cannot count on all his past deeds to save him when he sins. Neither will the sins of an evil man weigh him down when he approaches God for mercy and forgiveness.

To look at an example from our own lives, we can say to ourselves, "I have gone to so many Masses in my life, it's okay if I miss Mass this one time." Or we could just as easily say, "I have missed so many Masses, I could never start to go back now." None of us has been so good in our lives that we can afford to cheat on God by sinning. On the other hand, none of us has been so evil that we cannot change our ways and turn to God for mercy. God, more than anything else, wants to save us - both the good and the bad alike. We, for our part, must seek his will every day of our lives. Like a marriage, we must renew our commitment to God daily. Each day, we must be striving for holiness.

It is often said that in the life of faith there are no plateaus. We are either going forward or sliding back. We never get to a point at which we can just take it easy and coast. Rather, we must always strive to be faithful to Jesus and to his word. We can never say that we have done enough. We can never take a vacation from our vocation to live a holy life and be a light to others. Neither can we rely so much on our perfect Mass attendance and other religious observances that, like the Pharisees, we miss the reason that we have religion and spirituality in the first place - to help us to know, love and serve Jesus the Lord.

Jesus takes this idea to a deeper level in the gospel reading. In the parable, it is the son who actually does his father's will that is pleasing to him, not the one who pays him lip service saying "yes" but ignoring his father's wishes. The son who appears to be rebelling against his father has a change of heart and obeys. The son who appears to be obedient at first, later rebels. Jesus uses this parable both to criticize the Pharisees and to encourage those sinners in the crowd who were mesmerized by his words and wanted to follow him.

We hear Jesus criticize the Pharisees often in the gospel. They were not bad men. In fact, Jesus could find no fault with their observance of the law and their moral lives. They lived the law perfectly. The criticism Jesus had of them was that they simply failed to believe in him. They said "yes" to all the commandments of the law, to all the ordinances of Scripture, but they said "no" to Jesus who came to bring the law and prophets to fulfillment. Because they trusted in their own goodness and perfect religious observance, they missed the opportunity of salvation which God was offering them in the person of Jesus.

On the other hand, it was the tax collectors, prostitutes and other sinners who came to Jesus in droves, drawn by his powerful words and the authority with which he cast out demons and healed the sick. Despite their past lives of debauchery, they were able to recognize God visiting his people in the person of Jesus. They were able to recognize the gift of salvation which came to them. They found the grace to change their lives and to believe in the good news of salvation. 

When it comes down to it, Christianity is not only about following rules and observing commandments. Rather, it is a living relationship with the Lord Jesus. Like a marriage, we can't boil it all down to rules that we must follow. Like parenting, there is never a time when it is over, when we punch the clock and go home for the day. Faith is a commitment of love between people, a commitment of love between ourselves and Jesus. When we are in love, we never just try to do what is expected of us. Rather, we are always going out of our way for the other person. We never just want to spend a few minutes with our loved one, but a whole day and even a whole lifetime. We never want to give our loved one just a candy bar for Valentine's Day, but a whole box of chocolates! Love always goes beyond what is necessary, beyond what is expected, to serve the other person.

That is the way Jesus loves us. As Saint Paul tells us in the second reading, Jesus did not cling to his likeness to God but rather emptied himself to become one of us so that he could save us. Jesus went above and beyond the call of duty and the call of justice. Jesus responded to us out of his abundant love. And so, Jesus deserves our love in return. Jesus deserves us to say both "yes" to him with our lips and "yes" to him with the gift of our very lives.

Boundless Mercy

Mother Angelica, the foundress of the EWTN network, tells the story of a woman who for years prayed that her husband would be converted. When he became sick, she prayed even more fervently. Eventually they were told that he did not have long to live. Realizing that his days on earth were about to come to an end, he turned to his wife and said, “I think it’s time for you to call the priest.” Within minutes, the hospital chaplain came by, heard his confession and gave him the sacrament of the sick. He died peacefully several days later.

When Mother Angelica spoke to the woman shortly after the funeral, she could tell that she was angry. Assuming she was angry about losing her husband, she asked her if she wanted to talk about it. The woman told Mother Angelica about how she had prayed for her husband to be converted so that he would be easier to live with. But it didn’t happen until he was close to death. As she put it, “For years that man put me through hell. Now, because he went to confession, he gets to go to heaven. It just doesn’t seem fair.”

Doesn’t this woman sound like the workers in today’s gospel? She was angry because she had spent her life patiently putting up with a husband who was cranky and showed her little affection. Though he rarely went to church and never had a good thing to say about anyone, he could go to confession and have some assurance of going to heaven.

To most of us, this can seem unfair. However, it goes to show just how merciful our Heavenly Father is. No matter what sins we may have committed, God will always forgive us if we are truly sorry and confess them. And it is never too late for us to turn to Him and invite His love into our hearts. Even if we are on our death bed, Jesus still holds out the offer of forgiveness to us as He did to the good thief who was crucified beside Him. Like the vineyard owner who kept looking for workers even up to the last hour of the day, Jesus is always reaching out to sinners in hopes of breaking through their hardened hearts with the gift of His love.

If it is the case that we can get into heaven even if we convert on our death bed, then should all of us just wait until we are near death to receive Jesus’ offer of forgiveness? If it worked for the good thief, would it not also work for us?

I would suggest that it is not a good idea to wait until we are near death to convert for this simple reason. None of us knows when we will die. Some of us may be blessed with the awareness that we are close to death and with time to call a priest. However, many of us will die suddenly without warning in an accident or perhaps of a heart attack. There will be no time to call a priest and we may not be conscious enough to even say an Act of Contrition. Since none of us knows the hour when our life on earth will end, we should always be prepared to meet our Maker. That means, at a minimum, going to Mass every Sunday, practicing charity and mercy with our neighbors, praying every day and going to confession regularly.

There is another important reason why  we should not put off the decision to change our hearts and follow Jesus. By waiting, we will be missing out on all the good things God wants to give us. Those of us who give our hearts to Jesus experience great joy. Knowing that we are loved personally by an Almighty God gives us confidence as we face the challenges of life. We know that our Heavenly Father will always provide for us. Also, the hope of eternal life gives this present life tremendous meaning. We don’t ask ourselves if this is all there is. We don’t wonder why we are here or agonize over what it is all about. Rather, we rejoice knowing that Jesus is preparing a place for us in heaven and that nothing we suffer in this life can compare to the glory we will experience for all eternity.

As one who has been called to serve in God’s vineyard, I know this first hand. Though I am not always confident in my own abilities, I can rely on God to work through me. Though there are times I grow tired and feel frustrated, the Holy Spirit comes to encourage and console me. Nothing I have given up compares to all that I have received. Maybe in some ways I have been asked to give more than others have like the workers in the parable who were called early in the day. However, I have received so much back in return. God is never outdone in generosity. We never give Him more than He gives us in return. No matter how much we are asked to give or how long we are called to work, our Heavenly Father makes it joyful and fulfilling.

And so, I encourage you to say “yes” when Jesus comes to invite you to join Him in His work in the Father’s vineyard. Go willingly whenever He calls you, even if it seems as though you are being asked to give more than others. If you have been putting off saying “yes”, go with Him now and do not waste any more time. No longer deprive yourself of all the blessings God has prepared for you. And do not be embarrassed to say “yes” late in the day if you are called to do less than others. It is our love that gives value to our work, not how hard it is nor how long it takes. As in today’s gospel, God prefers someone who works an hour out of love to someone who works all day and ends up feeling bitter, resentful and envious. Go now, no matter what it costs, no matter how little you have to give and be happy no matter how God chooses to reward you.  

It's Not Fair!

It isn’t fair!

How many times have we heard those words on the lips of children after they have been punished? How many times have we seen those words on the placards of protesters marching for better conditions and equal treatment for workers? Or how many times have we said those words ourselves when we received a grade on a test that we did not believe we deserved or were passed over for a promotion at work?

The thought, “it isn’t fair”, may have also crossed our mind when we heard the parable of Jesus in today’s gospel.

How we hear Jesus’ words and how we react to them has much to tell us about how we understand ourselves and our relationship to God.

If we heard the parable thinking that the landowner treated his workers unfairly, it could be that we think that God has not been fair with us. We may think that we have just had too many obstacles placed in our way to ever experience true joy and happiness in life. Perhaps we have lost loved ones in tragic circumstances or experienced illness ourselves. God has seemed to be there to help other people, why has He not helped me? Other people credit their faith with helping them through tough times, why do I feel alone? Like the workers in the parable, we feel shortchanged and unappreciated.

However, there is another way to hear the parable. Instead of identifying with the workers who labored all day, we could sympathize with those who worked only part of the day. We realize that God has been exceedingly generous with us. Though we have made many bad choices in life, our Heavenly Father has always provided for us. Because of His great love, we have come to depend on His mercy and generosity. Though we experience the same difficulties and tragedies that others do, we face them with a sense of confidence knowing God will continue to provide for us. Rather than feel punished, ignored or unappreciated by Him, we feel uplifted, protected and strengthened. Like the workers who only labored part of the day, we understand that we are only humble servants who are happy with whatever God chooses to give us.

Which category of people do we most resemble? If we are honest, we are most likely a mixture of both attitudes.

As we reflect on Jesus’ parables, let us ask ourselves, “What can we do to be more like the second group of people?”

The first way is to cultivate a spirit of gratitude. God showers us with so many blessings and gifts that it is easy to take them all for granted. Beauty surrounds us  in nature and in other people. On top of that, we have the gift of sight to be able to enjoy them. When we take a second to appreciate it and thank God for it, we begin to realize how richly blessed we are. If we take it a step further, we can even thank God for the challenges we face. Rather than blame Him for everything difficult in our lives, we can turn to Him in trust saying, “Lord, I know that you will eventually provide for me” or, “Father, I trust you to bring good out of this bad situation.” Doing so will give us peace when we are feeling insecure.

Giving thanks in all circumstances combats a spirit of entitlement that is so common to our society. When we feel entitled, we believe that we deserve whatever we want. Every time we do some good work or put out the slightest effort, we believe that someone should give us a medal for it. Such an attitude can lead only to frustration, bitterness and conflict. When we are driven by an attitude of entitlement, we can never experience happiness because, like the workers in the parable, no matter what we have we will always feel cheated. We can never be the thankful and joyful people that Jesus challenges us to be in today’s parable.

The second attitude to cultivate is generosity. When we are thankful for all that God has given us, it is natural that we will want to share it with others. We will never understand why our Heavenly Father has given more of the earth’s goods to some people rather than others, but we can even things out by donating to charities or helping those in need. If we do not have many material blessings, then we can share our faith by praying for the sick, visiting prisoners or comforting those who are lonely. Faith is the greatest of God’s blessings and we never do so much good as when we share it with the lost, the lonely and the afraid.

In a particular way, we imitate God’s generosity when we share what we have with those who do not seem to deserve it. We do that when we forgive those who harm us even when they do not show any remorse. We reflect God’s mercy when we are kind to those who gossip about us behind our backs and refuse to say a bad word about them. When we help beggars on the street even though we do not know what they will do with what we give them, we are imitating God who showers His blessings on us even though we so often abuse them. Unlike God, we can never know what is going on in another person’s heart. We can never know what he or she is struggling with. However, like God, we can decide to always be generous even when we are unsure the person deserves it or even when the cost seems high.

It is true that there are many times we feel cheated by God. Sometimes the burdens of life seem to outweigh the blessings. However, everything we have comes from Him including our very life and being. So often we offend our Heavenly Father by not noticing the beauty and goodness all around us and daring to act as if it were not enough. By cultivating a spirit of gratitude and generosity we can be like the workers in the parable who were elated with the pay they received knowing that it was more than they deserved. We can also translate that gratitude and generosity into concrete action by sharing what we have with others and treating them gently and mercifully. Then the Kingdom of God which Jesus came to bring will be more of a reality in our lives and in our world.

Just Desserts

What do we mean when we say we deserve something? Don’t we mean that we have somehow earned it or that we are entitled to it because of our hard work and efforts?

And how do we feel when we do not get what we think we deserve? Don’t we feel angry and hurt? Don’t we feel as if our rights have been trampled on and that we have been disrespected?

Then we can completely understand the anger of the workers in Jesus’ parable. They felt they were entitled to more pay because they had worked longer hours. Unlike the laborers who had shown up at the last minute, they made an effort to show up early at the marketplace so that they would be hired first and be able to earn a whole day’s pay. They were not asking for a hand out. They simply wanted what they thought they deserved for the labor they put in.

All of us can feel sympathy with these workers. We have all been in situations in which we thought we were being taken advantage of or when we felt we had gotten the short end of the stick.

It is natural for us to get frustrated with others when we feel we have not received what we deserve. But are there ever times when we feel that same anger and frustration with God? Are there ever times when we think we deserved a better life than the one God gave us? Are there times when the burdens of life weigh so heavily upon us that we ask, “Why me, Lord? What did I ever do to deserve so much heartache?”

When it comes to our relationship with others, it is possible that we do not always receive what we are entitled to. But we can never make the same claim as regards our relationship with God. When it comes right down to it, God does not owe us anything. Who here today is so important that he or she deserved to even be born? Who here is so good that he or she deserves to go to heaven? Who here today has lived such a virtuous life and performed so many good deeds that he or she deserves a seat in the Kingdom of God? No one. If such a thing were possible, Jesus would not have had to die on the cross for us.

The fact is that we are all beggars before our Almighty God. Everything we have and everything we are is his gift to us. It may not always seem as though we have enough. It may be painfully clear to us how small and weak we are. But each of us has more than enough to accomplish God’s plan for our life. He never fails to provide us with whatever we need when we need it. It may seem that we could do better things for God if we had more resources or were more talented, but we have just what we need to live the life He has set out for us.

It is a very subtle trick of the Devil to try to convince us that we deserve more than God has given us. He succeeded in convincing Adam and Eve that all the delights of Paradise were not good enough. They had to have the fruit of the Tree of Good and Evil. He also convinced the Israelites in the desert that they would have been better off if they had remained slaves in Egypt. So they rebelled against God by worshipping a golden calf. He tried to pull the same trick on Jesus telling Him to provide bread for Himself because God had abandoned Him. But Jesus saw through it proclaiming that what God gave Him was all that He needed, for it is not be bread alone that we live but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. The Devil works hard to do the same to us - to try to convince us that God somehow is holding back from us and that we cannot trust Him.

Brothers and sisters, if we are going to make any progress at all in the spiritual life we have to stop complaining, stop bickering and begin being grateful for what we have. Even if it does not seem like much, everything we have is a gift from a good and generous God. In all things, we need to thank our Heavenly Father. Even if it is just for the fact that we have lived to see one more day, we must praise God.

Life can be difficult and challenging. There are many times when our suffering gets the best of us and we lose hope. But God has a plan for our lives. He sees the big picture. What seems like a crushing humiliation for us today or an impossibly heavy burden is God’s way of preparing a great blessing for us. He knows what He is doing. It may not make sense to us now, but there will come a day in the not too distant future when we will look back and be able to see why things turned out the way they did in our lives. Then we will be grateful. For now we can only accept what God gives us - both the good and the bad - in complete trust that “His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways.” But He will make all things work for the good for those who love Him.

It is true that God does not treat us as we deserve. Because of our sins, we deserve judgement and punishment, but in His goodness He sent His only Son, the sinless One, to die in our place. We deserve to be imprisoned in slavery to sin, but He has opened the treasury in Heaven to shower us with grace upon grace so that we can know the truth and live it with joy. There is only one way that God knows how to treat us - with mercy, love and lavish generosity.

We gather here today to celebrate that love and to commit ourselves to work in His vineyard and to be grateful for however much He deigns to give us.

Welcoming Those Who Hurt Us Back Home

In his book, Everybody Needs To Forgive Somebody,  Dr. Allen Hunt recounts one of the most powerful stories of forgiveness he had ever heard.

It is the story of Millie, a young woman who married at eighteen years old and had three children with her husband. After ten years of taking care of a home and three active children, she began to wonder what it would be like to be single and carefree again. Often, when the cares of married life became too much for her, she would wonder whether she had made a mistake getting married so young.

Believing she had fallen out of love with her husband and aching for adventure, Millie soon fell in love with another man. For four months they had a clandestine affair meeting in hotel rooms whenever they had free time. Millie became so enthralled with this relationship that she left her husband and children to move in with her lover.

Millie’s husband was desperate to have her back. Every day he would send her notes begging her to return home. He even drove by her lover’s house and asked her to go with him to talk to their pastor. He told her how the children cried for her at night but even that would not move her heart. She was determined to start a new life with her lover and leave her old life behind.

A year went by and still Millie was determined not to return to her marriage despite her husband’s earnest attempts to reconcile with her.

Then, one Wednesday morning, she woke up and the realization of what she had done to her family dawned on her. She began to sob as she thought about the heartache she caused her husband and children. There and then, she realized she had to end the dead end affair she was involved in and return to her home.

Of course, she worried how her husband would react to seeing her again. Would he scream at her and slam the door in her face? What would her children say? Would they turn their backs on her for having abandoned them when they needed her the most?

Despite her fears, she knew she had to go home and face what she had done.

And so, she pulled into the driveway, walked up to the door and knocked. As she waited for her husband to answer the door, her body was shaking uncontrollably. As soon as she saw him, she said, “I want to come home.” Her husband smiled and embraced her saying, “Welcome home.”

The days that followed seemed like a dream as Millie and her husband tried to put their life back together. It took a lot of honesty and prayer, but they were making progress putting the past behind them and starting fresh.

Then, Millie got what seemed to be the worst news possible. She was pregnant with her lover’s child. How could her husband forgive this? How could he not see it as another slap in the face? And what would their families say? How could they ever welcome this child who would be a constant reminder of her infidelity?

Looking at her face, Millie’s husband knew something was wrong and asked her what it was. As she said, “I’m pregnant,” she began to sob uncontrollably. Just as he had before, her husband took her in his arms and told her that everything would be alright. He reassured her that he would welcome the child as if it were his own and that he would always love and care for her.

Of course, not only was Millie amazed by her husband’s ability to forgive her but so were their family and friends. When people asked him how he could welcome her home after all the pain she caused him and their children, he said: “You know, with all that Christ did to forgive me, how could I look at my wife, the woman He gave me to love, and say, ‘You know, you’ve done something so horrible that I can’t forgive you.’”

If you are like me, you cannot help but be astounded by this husband’s almost boundless ability to forgive his wife. His secret, however, is not that he has a short memory or that he doesn’t have a lot of pride. Rather, his secret is that He understands how much God has forgiven him and he is willing to share that forgiveness even when he has had to suffer the worst of betrayals from his wife.

As the title of Dr. Hunt’s book suggests, all of us have someone we need to forgive. It could be that our parents did not give us everything we think we needed. Maybe we were picked on and bullied throughout our school years. Many of us have been betrayed by friends and family. The people we cared about the most often took advantage of us or showed little regard for our feelings. Though it may be many years later, those wounds are still fresh. They still sting when we touch them. We are finding it hard to move on. We are finding it hard to trust others again.

It is not easy for us to forgive. In fact, in some circumstances, it may seem absolutely impossible. However, we do not have to be doomed to bearing a burden of resentment for the rest of our days. We do not have to relive the wrongs done to us. It is possible to let it all go, to get over our hurt feelings and to finally let our wounds heal. And it all starts with reflecting on how much God loves and how much He has forgiven us.

If each of us would sit down every day and reflect on our loving God who never turns us away, who does not hold our sins against us and who loved us enough to send His Son to die for us, our hearts would begin to melt. As we come to understand how much mercy God has shown us, we will begin to show mercy to others. Our hearts will grow to understand that the people who hurt us in our past were themselves carrying a burden of pain. And, with God’s grace, we will begin to heal.

Forgiveness is possible and it can begin for us today. On this altar, along with the bread and wine, let us offer our hurts, disappointments and pain. Let us allow God to take them up into the heart of Jesus and return peace and calm to us. It will not happen overnight, but it will happen. We can be free from the shackles of our past and open our hearts to a future full of promise. It all begins with acknowledging that we are sinners in need of forgiveness and with our willingness to share that forgiveness with others.

Heroic Forgiveness

Many horrible and heart-wrenching stories have come out of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Death, destruction and suffering take place there on a daily basis and on a level that most of us cannot even begin to imagine.

At the same time, when faced with horrible circumstances, we often discover examples of bravery and heartfelt charity. Even in the midst of chaos and savagery, we are reminded of the goodness of human nature and the power of God’s grace.

Just such a story of magnanimity in the face of tragedy is told in the book, The Irresistible Revolution, by Shane Clairborn.

During the height of sectarian violence in Iraq between Sunni and Shiite Muslims, a woman’s husband and only son were shot to death by a young man. It was her worst nightmare come true. Now alone with no means of support and no one to protect her, she was devastated. No one would have blamed her for feeling outraged and bitter. No one would have blamed her for demanding vengeance. However, at the trial during the sentencing of the man who had taken her family away from her, she stunned the judge and the courtroom by requesting that the young man not be sent to jail. Instead she requested that she be allowed to adopt him. Thinking that in her grief she might have lost her mind, the judge asked her to repeat her request. She explained that she was now alone but that she still had much love to give. The young man who killed her family obviously had not been loved enough. She wanted to bring him into her home to teach him how to love rather than hate.

Through the grace of God, this woman faced with the most difficult of circumstances found a way to choose forgiveness over vengeance and love over hate. She found a way to look at that young man not as a murderer deserving condemnation but as a lost soul needing mercy and forgiveness. She is an example to all of us that we do not need to be imprisoned in bitterness. Neither do we need to be locked in a vicious cycle of vengeance. We can be free from the pain of our past. With the help of God, we can forgive others from the heart.

Each of us here today can recall at least one person who has hurt us, someone we find very difficult to forgive. That person may have hurt our feelings, betrayed our trust or humiliated us. He or she may have abused us and caused us serious psychological or physical harm. We might live everyday with the scars of their hurtful actions. People can be cruel and heartless. But has any of us had our husband or child murdered as that Iraqi woman did? Has any of us suffered as much loss as she has? If she can forgive and even open her home to the young man who murdered her family, what excuse do we have to not forgive those who have hurt us? Even if we have suffered as much or more than she has, there can be no real, lasting healing for us until, through God’s grace, we find it within ourselves to forgive.

And the truth is that not only have others hurt us, but we have also sinned against our neighbor. We have been careless with the feelings of others. We have said hurtful things. We have looked the other way when our brothers or sisters needed our help. Even worse, we have taken advantage of people when they were weak and helpless. We might have many excuses for acting as we did. We might say that we were young and didn’t know any better. We might claim that we were not aware how much harm we were causing. But we did it anyway, and people are hurting because of the choices we made. Each of us would hope that those we hurt would find some way to understand why we acted the way we did and come to forgive us. Do we not then have to show the same understanding and forgiveness to those who have hurt us?

Forgiveness is not only essential for our peace of mind and general well-being, it is also vital for the salvation of our souls. Jesus makes it very clear that if we are unwilling to forgive those who harm us, then our Heavenly Father will be unable to forgive us. We cannot receive God’s mercy if we are not willing to show mercy to others. All our prayers and good works, all our sacrifices and acts of charity will be for nothing if we are harboring grudges and wishing harm on those who have hurt us.

How can we begin to forgive those who have hurt us? It certainly is not easy, but it is possible with God’s grace. The first step is always to pray for God’s help to open our hearts to be able to love. The next step is to pray for the person who has hurt us. We must ask God to bless that person and make him or her prosper. Whenever bitter thoughts against the person invade our minds, we have to ask God’s help to push them aside. As we do that, we will begin to see the person in a new light. We will understand that like us, he or she is a weak human being. With that, forgiveness starts to take root. It does not happen overnight. But with God’s help it is possible.

Forgiveness is not optional. It is not just a good thing to do. It is necessary for our salvation. As we prepare to bring the bread and wine that will be transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ to the altar, let us call to mind those who have hurt us and those we may have hurt. Let us renew our commitment to forgive everyone who has ever harmed us and offer a prayer for those we have harmed. Let us call to mind the love that Jesus show by dying on the cross so that we could be forgiven. And let us allow the healing rays of the God Who is mercy and love to penetrate deep within us so that we can reflect that love even to our enemies.

Rising To A Challenge

There was a man who, for much of his life, gave little thought to God or his faith. However, little by little, he felt in his heart that there was something missing and that he should start going back to church. He also knew that the first step would be to go to confession.

Though he hadn’t been in over twenty years, he found the courage to go before Mass one Sunday afternoon. At first, he felt awkward. After so long away from the sacrament, he couldn’t remember his prayers or what to do, but the priest kindly helped him through it.

In the course of their discussion, he admitted that he and his wife had not been married in the Church and that their children had not been baptized. The priest explained to him as gently as possible but firmly what a serious sin it is for a Catholic to be married outside of the Church. He urged him to do everything possible to do the right thing, and told him that until they were married in the Church, they would not be able to receive communion.

The man felt devastated. He had gone to confession in hopes of finding some peace, but instead was told that he was living in sin. He was outraged and decided that he would never go to church again.

As time passed, however, the man reflected more on what the priest had said and discussed it with his wife. He decided to set an appointment with the deacon at his parish to try to understand why the Church did not recognize their marriage and why he couldn’t receive communion. The deacon gently explained to him God’s plan for marriage and all the graces that come from being married in the Church. He explained how in receiving communion we are receiving Jesus Himself and that our lives must be in union with His word if we are to be in communion with His Body.

It made sense to him, and he knew in his heart it was what he wanted. He and his wife discussed it and prayed together about it. They took the necessary steps to be married in the Church and to have their children baptized. Eventually, as they learned more about the Church’s teaching on marriage, they stopped using contraceptives and welcomed more children into their family. Now they work together with the deacon in their parish preparing young couples for marriage.

At first, the truth was hard to swallow. But because their minds and hearts were open, they were able to accept the reality of their situation and change their lives. Now they are experiencing countless blessings all because they overcame their fears and said “yes” to God’s plan for their lives.

Now imagine if that priest did not have the courage to tell that young man the truth. Imagine if the deacon did not love him enough to spell out to him why their lifestyle was sinful. They would have continued living just as they always had and would have missed out on the blessings God had been preparing for them.

It is hard to hear the truth, but how much harder is it for us to speak the truth to one another, to point out one another’s errors and to call each other to live the gospel in its fullness. Yet the Bible clearly teaches us that, in love, we owe it to one another to speak the truth.

God tells the prophet Ezekiel very plainly that if he fails to warn sinners that they will die because of their sins then God will hold the sinner’s death against him. These are very strong words, and we should all take them to heart. In essence, God is telling us that if we know that our neighbor is sinning and we say nothing about it, then we are partially responsible. Because we haven’t warned them, we are allowing the sin to continue. By keeping silent, we become complicit in our neighbor’s sinfulness.

Now does that mean that we go up to everyone in our families or at our work and start pointing out their sins to them? Of course not. We need to be gentle and loving in the way we approach our neighbor. We need to have a great deal of humility knowing that we are all sinners in need of God’s mercy. And we have to pray very intensely before even thinking about having a discussion with someone about his or her sinful choices.

Jesus in the gospel gives us some very useful advice. He cautions us always to talk to the person alone. By speaking one on one, the person will feel less defensive and will be more open to our words. Also, it gives the person a chance to explain himself. It could be that we have misunderstood something he said or jumped to conclusions about something he had done. When the matter is cleared up, it could be that our neighbor has not sinned as we thought, and our conscience can be at peace.

However, if the person has sinned and does not want to change, Jesus tells us that we don’t have to deal with it alone. We should ask someone else to discuss it with him and then we should get the Church involved, typically by seeking help from a deacon, sister or priest. If he or she still will not listen after that, then our consciences can be in peace. We have done what we can. All that is left is to pray for the person that God will help him or her to change.

The truth very often hurts, but it can never harm us. When we accept it, we are set free to embrace all the blessings that God has in store for us. It is an act of mercy to admonish the sinner and instruct the ignorant because it gives them a chance to experience God’s mercy and all that blessings that come from living in the light of His love. And we will be helping to save our own souls in the process. Why would we want to deprive anyone of that just to be polite or out of fear of offending someone?

Did You Know That Jesus Was Here?

The legendary quarterback of the San Francisco '49'ers, Joe Montana, ended his football career in Kansas City playing for the Kansas City Chiefs. One Sunday, he attended Mass at a local parish. After the Mass, a parishioner breathlessly ran up to the pastor and asked him, "Father, Father, did you know that Joe Montana was here?!" The pastor wryly replied, "Well, did you know that Jesus was here?"

We are gathered here today for one reason - to meet Jesus. Jesus is here. We encounter Jesus here in a way that is more real and more profound than if we had stayed home to pray alone. Jesus promised us that whenever two or three are gathered in his name that he is present among them. And so, Jesus is present in this assembly of believers gathered here today.

Jesus is also present in the Scriptures we proclaim. The Bible is inspired by God to such a degree that we can rightly call God its author. Whenever the Scripture readings are proclaimed at Mass, it is God who is speaking to us. Likewise, whenever the gospel readings are proclaimed, it is Jesus who is speaking to us. We have heard God speak to us today in a real way through the Scriptures.

And, finally, the most real way - indeed the most miraculous way - that Jesus makes himself present to us today is through the Eucharist, the gift of his body and blood. The bread and wine we receive at communion is not just a symbol of Jesus' body and blood. Rather, it is actually his body and blood. When we receive the bread in our hands or on our tongue and when we bring the chalice to our lips, it is the very body and blood of Jesus our Savior who comes to meet us and to dwell in us.

If someone famous were to show up here today - like Joe Montana or some other sports personality - we would get very excited. We would be staring at him, taking note of what he was wearing, how he was praying and trying to see with whom he was sitting. We might even try to meet him and get his autograph. Can we be just as excited about Jesus' presence here today? Do we get a lump in our throat knowing that he is speaking to each of us personally? Does our heart start to race knowing that we will touch him in the Eucharist? Do we get short of breath when we realize that Jesus is sitting right next to us in the person of our neighbor?

As we grow in the awareness of the presence of Christ among us, it becomes obvious to us that we are called to mirror the love and mercy we have encountered in Jesus. Since Jesus is present when we gather together, we have to be more like him in our everyday lives. And, because of Jesus' presence in each of us, we must love each other. As Saint Paul tells us in the second reading: "Owe no debt to anyone except the debt that binds us to love one another."

Brothers and sisters, we owe it to each other to love one another. Since we are the presence of Christ in the world, we must prove it through our willingness to love. When we love, Christ shines forth in us. When we love, Christ is real in us and in our world. And so, when we fail to love as we should - when we sin - it is never a personal failure. It is never just something between ourselves and God. When we fail to live up to the gospel message of love, we let each other down. When any one of us sins, all of us are affected because it makes it harder for us to show to the world the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. Because of this we begin every Mass by calling to mind our sins and praying: "I confess to Almighty God AND TO YOU MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS that I have sinned through my own fault." We can pray those words because we recognize that we are responsible to each other to live as Jesus taught us.

It is also for this reason that, in today's gospel, Jesus doesn't tell us to mind our own business when we see our brothers and sisters sinning. Rather, he tells us that we are to speak with them and to try to correct them. Jesus teaches us that we have a real responsibility to each other and for each other to ensure that we are all living the gospel message. It is not because anyone of us is better than another nor because any one of us is worthy to judge another. Rather, we correct each other precisely because of our love for our brothers and sisters and because we want each other to experience the presence of Christ. But, we must not only be willing to correct others, we must also be willing to be corrected. And, out of love, we must also be willing to forgive each other. No matter what the situation may be, we must always correct each other lovingly and respectfully because our goal is one and the same - to make the Church a place where Jesus is made present and where the love and mercy of Christ shine with a light which is as brilliant as the sun.

My brothers and sisters, the Risen Jesus is truly here today. We have heard him speak and met him in each other. We will touch him through the miracle of the Eucharist. And, we are each called to carry the light of Christ out into the world - to our families, to our workplaces and to our schools. It is by our love that we show the face of Christ to the world. It is through love that we will draw more people to this place so they too can meet and experience Jesus for themselves.

The Gift of the Cross

Throughout her childhood, Anastasia’s mother did nothing but verbally abuse her and humiliate her in public. When she was not telling her how ugly and obnoxious she thought she was, she would go days without speaking to or acknowledging her.

These years of neglect and abuse left Anastasia profoundly disturbed. Even though her mother began to treat her less severely, she still would feel overwhelmed by anxiety to the point that she could not leave the house and had to drop out of school. All she could do was sit in her backyard looking up into the sky asking God why He did not give her a loving family.

For almost a year, she could not find the strength to leave her house. Though her friends begged her to get help, she could not bring herself to go anywhere and would often lock herself in her room whenever people stopped by to see her.

Knowing in her heart that she could not continue to live this way, she began to pray the rosary begging God to take her anxiety away from her. As she prayed, she would experience some relief from her inner turmoil and moments of peace, but she still could not bring herself to leave the house. Sometimes she would even grow angry with God thinking that He was not answering her prayers or even accusing Him of neglecting her the same way her mother had.

In the meanwhile, several of her friends arranged an intervention for her. They arrived at her house and begged her to sit with them. She agreed. They sat in a circle and each of them told her how much they loved her while asking her to get help. Though at first she felt betrayed by them, she acknowledged how right they were. And so, she agreed to check herself into a facility to help her deal with her anxiety.

It took much courage for Anastasia to leave her house and attend the treatment program. It was only with great difficulty that she was able to open herself up to the counselors. But, with time, she began to find some relief and, though her anxiety has not totally gone away, she has learned to deal with it.

In witnessing to her ordeal, Anastasia said that for years she begged God to take her anxiety away and He never seemed to answer her prayer. Now she has learned to look at her anxiety as a gift because it makes her depend on God for everything. She was not able to conquer her anxiety until she acknowledged that she was powerless over it and decided to put her trust in God to give her the courage and strength she needed to do something as simple as leave the house every morning.

As she put it, “I would not want it any other way. Because of my anxiety, I have learned to depend on God. And I wouldn’t trade my relationship with Him for anything.”

All of us have a cross. And when we are weighed down by it, our first instinct is to call out to God to take it away from us. None of us wants to suffer. Even Jesus, when faced with His death cried out: “Lord, if it be your will, take this cup from me.”

Sometimes, God answers our prayer by taking the cause of our suffering away. Other times, however, He allows the suffering to continue.

Like Anastasia, we may grow angry with God and ask why He is silent when we need Him most. We may cry out like Jeremiah in today’s first reading - “You duped me, O Lord.” We may think that God has abandoned or even betrayed us.

However, there is a deeper truth to be discovered. Nothing happens to us without God allowing it. And if He allows something to happen to us, it is always for our good. Therefore, if God is allowing us to suffer it is somehow for our good.

This is not always easy to hear. Often, we cannot imagine what possible benefit could come from our pain or that of our loved ones. However, it is a truth that we hold in faith.

Human beings can endure much suffering when they see a purpose to it. Just think of what athletes go through to condition themselves for competition. However, when we do not see any meaning to our suffering, we are tempted to give up and fall into despair.

Our faith, however, challenges us to trust in God when our anguish overwhelms us. Our suffering is never meaningless because our Heavenly Father promises to always bring good out of it whether we see it immediately or not. When the turmoil seems too much to bear, a prayer as simple as “Lord, I trust in you” can give us peace and strengthen us to take one more step under the weight of our cross.

Also, our faith teaches us that none of us suffers alone. Jesus is by the side of all of those who suffer to help them bear the weight of their cross. Like Anastasia, if nothing else, our cross can help us to grow in love for our Lord by teaching us to rely on Him.

In today’s gospel, Jesus speaks plainly to us: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” Our Heavenly Father does not promise to always save us from suffering but He promises to always save us through suffering. If we embrace our cross with faith and love, then we can already taste some of the joy and glory of the resurrection even in the midst of our anguish. And by offering our pains to God in union with Jesus, we will feel connected not only to our Lord but to all those around the world who suffer.

Suffering is unavoidable in this life. The question is, will we allow it to make us bitter? Will we give in to despair? Or will we allow God to give meaning to our suffering so that we can endure it with hope and so that we can grow from it? If we give it all over to our Heavenly Father, then we, like Anastasia, can learn not only to carry our cross but to thank God for it. 

Attending To Our Neighbors In Their Need

Why should I?

What’s in it for me?

What will I get out of it?

Have those questions ever run through your mind when someone has asked you for help? Our society teaches us that we should never do anything for free. There should always be something in it for us whether it be money or even just emotional satisfaction.

However, we can clearly see how this selfishness has damaged relationships and families. When we put our own comfort before the needs of others, society begins to break down. Families cannot function because spouses are too busy pursuing their own interests to communicate honestly with each other. And once that happens, they cannot meet the needs of their children. We only have to look at our schools, our prisons and even our parishes to see the toxic effects. It is a downward spiral that drags all of society down with it.

In today’s second reading, Saint Paul urges us not to be conformed to this world in its selfishness. We are instead to be transformed by the renewal of our mind so that we can look at reality in a different way, not from the perspective of our own needs and wants but from the point of view first of God and then of our brothers and sisters. We are to put the interests of others before our own. We are to make sure that the needs of our brothers and sisters are met before we take care of our own needs.

This mindset is absolutely foreign to our present culture. We are taught to put ourselves first and to let others take care of themselves. But imagine what our world could be like if we started to live the self-sacrificing love shown to us by Jesus. Imagine a world in which everyone had enough to eat because neighbor shared with neighbor. Imagine families in which mothers and fathers could work out their differences and raise their children to care for others. Imagine neighborhoods transformed because people began watching out for one another. All this could be possible if, through the grace of God, we could begin to live the gospel message of self-sacrificing love.

If a world transformed by love is going to be a reality, then it must begin with you and me. We can only bring it about by making the conscious effort to put the needs of others before our own. But how do we even begin? As always, it is Jesus who shows us the way. In today’s gospel, He gives us the antidote for our selfishness by telling us that we must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him.

First, we must learn to deny ourselves. We learn from an early age that if we are going to accomplish anything, we have to learn to say “no” to ourselves. We cannot get our homework done unless we turn off the television. We cannot learn how to play a sport without sweating through practices. The same is true in our life of faith. To break the selfishness that locks our world in destructive competitiveness, we must learn how to say “no”. It starts in small ways by going without desert at supper or by not buying an extra pair of shoes that we know we do not need. Then we begin donating the money we save to help the poor. Going a step further, we miss a meal so that we can volunteer at a homeless shelter. Or we lose a good night’s sleep because we are manning the phones at a suicide hotline. Before we know it, our small acts of self-denial are transforming us into saints.

Second, we must take up our cross. Each of us has a burden to carry. It could be sickness, anxiety, a challenging job or family members who constantly hurt us. It is natural for us to want to avoid difficulties and suffering at all costs. But Jesus teaches us to look at our life’s burdens in a new way. They are not there to punish us but to help us on the way to holiness. By accepting the burdens of our daily lives and offering them up to God out of love for him, in atonement for our sins and for the conversion of sinners, we grow in patience and in love. By realizing that Jesus is carrying our cross with us, our burden does not seem as heavy. Then we are not so overwhelmed with our own problems that we cannot reach out and help others to carry their crosses.

Third, we must follow Jesus. Our eyes must always be fixed on our Lord and Savior. He walks ahead of us marking a sure pathway forward. We learn from Him that we do not have to be afraid. We do not have to hoard money because He will provide for us. We do not need to have a big house and lots of clothes to feel good about ourselves, because He gives us the dignity of being called sons and daughters of God. Knowing that Jesus is always by our side frees us to care for others because we know He will care for us.

There is much that is wrong with our world today. All the problems we are faced with can overwhelm us and make us want to give up. While there are no easy answers or quick fixes, there is something each of us can do. We can attend to the needs of those around us, the people God has placed in our lives. By denying ourselves, picking up our cross and following Jesus we can begin to make a difference. At first, it may not seem as if there is anything in it for us. But we will experience the joy of bringing a smile to a tired woman’s face, the satisfaction of helping a neighbor make it through another day and the peace that comes with doing God’s will.