As We Love Ourselves

As human beings, we need love to grow and thrive. From early on we learn from our families that we need other people to give our hearts to. We discover the comfort and elation that come from letting our guard down and sharing our deepest self with another.

As we grow into adulthood, we also find it within ourselves not only to love our family and friends but to show kindness even to strangers. When we help a person in need, especially when they are unable to pay us back, we discover the satisfaction that comes with giving of ourselves.

So when Jesus commands us to love our neighbor, any decent person cannot help but agree and appreciate the wisdom of His words.

But what about the love of God? Because He is not a part of our world and daily experience, the idea that we should love God is not as obvious to us. How do we love a God we cannot see, hear or touch?

Jesus gives us a hint in today’s gospel. By linking the command to love God with the command to love our neighbor, He teaches us that precisely by loving others we show our love for God.

This is a teaching which we find throughout the Bible. Saint John tells us in his letters that anyone who claims to walk in the light while hating his brothers and sisters is a liar. Saint James asks how it is possible to love the God we cannot see when we neglect our neighbor whom we do see. Finally, Jesus tells us that whatever we do to the least of our brothers and sisters, we do to Him.

Why this connection between love of God and love of neighbor? It is simply because we are all created in the image and likeness of God. Each one of us reflects His beauty and goodness. When I hate, despise or offend another human being, I am rejecting the image and likeness of God which he or she reflects and, therefore, am rejecting and offending God Himself.

There is another truth connected to this which we must be aware of. Our love for God is not measured by the person we love the most. Rather, it is measured by the one we love the least. Think about the most obnoxious person you know. Think about the man or woman who has hurt you the most. Think about the one you find the least attractive. That person is the measure of your love for God.

That is why along with the command to love, Jesus gives us the command to forgive. We are also commanded to serve the poor and embrace the sinner. Our love for neighbor, therefore, is to have no boundaries. No one falls outside the commandment of love. God will accept no excuses if we fail to love any one of His children.

Now, what if the person we find hardest to love and forgive is ourselves?

Showing love to ourselves is another dimension of love for neighbor and, therefore, of love of God. In fact, psychologists tell us that love of self is crucial to love for others. Often we project on to others the dissatisfaction we feel about ourselves. We often punish others for the failures we see in ourselves. This is especially true about our relationship with family members. The better we feel about ourselves, the better we will treat others.

We show love for God, then, by accepting ourselves as God made us. That means accepting our limitations, the mistakes of our past, and the difficulties of our daily lives. When we are jealous of others’ talents or wish to have what they have, we are in essence saying to God that He made a mistake in creating us. We are rejecting the unique gift that He made us to be. When we feel that way - when we feel as though we are somehow inferior to others - it is good to remind ourselves that we were created by God in His image and likeness just as everyone else was, and that we are beloved by Him.

Jesus commands us to love Him above all things, to put the love of God before anyone and anything else. That ability to love God grows as we show love to others. The more we love ourselves and others, the more we will love God. And the more we love God, the more we will fulfill the purpose for which He created us. Being created in His image and likeness means being able to love. We find our greatest fulfillment when we give ourselves to others out of love, when we sacrifice ourselves for the good of others and when we forget ourselves in service to our neighbor.

All this is summed up beautifully in a traditional prayer called, “An Act of Love”

O my God, I love you above all things, with my whole heart and soul,

because you are all good and worthy of all my love.

I love my neighbor as myself for the love of you.

I forgive all who have injured me

and I ask pardon of all whom I have injured.

Let this be our prayer and the way of life we seek to imitate as we follow Jesus, our Master, who is love itself.

More On Love

It happens to all of us. We get so wrapped up in the busyness of life that we forget what is most important. It seems that we are always rushing, that there is something else to get done. With all the demands of our daily life, we can overlook the beauty of the world around us and, sad to say, the love of the people who are most important to us. And when we do finally have some time to ourselves, we find ourselves too exhausted to do anything except sit in front of the television. Because we are so anxious to get all our chores done, we too often lose time with the family and friends who give meaning to our lives.

Jesus was very good at keeping focused on the things that matter most. He never gets caught up in the petty squabbles of the religious and political leaders of his day. Rather He moves about with the poor, calls sinners to follow Him and heals the sick. Jesus knew what was important, and He would never allow anyone to steer Him away from serving His Heavenly Father.

Over the past few Sundays, we have listened to how the religious leaders of the day were trying to trick Jesus. They hoped to catch Him saying something either against the Roman authorities or against the Jewish law so that He could be discredited with the people and get in trouble. Such is the case in today’s gospel. The lawyer hopes that He will pick one of the commandments of the law to the exclusion of others. However, Jesus goes back to what is most basic. Every commandment, every teaching of the Scripture, every law and regulation has one point - to teach us how to love. Love of God and love of neighbor is at the heart of religion. When we love, we fulfill the law.

We see this clearly in the life of Jesus. Saint John tells us that it was because God loved the world that He sent His Son. Jesus came for no other reason than to reveal the Father’s love for us. Everything Jesus said and did was motivated by love. He heals the sick to show God’s concern for them. He calls tax collectors and prostitutes to show God’s love for sinners. Even when He puts the religious leaders in their place, He is doing it out of love to show them that there is a better way to know and serve God than by just following rules. And the greatest act of love was His death on the cross. Jesus shed every drop of His blood for us. He did it because He loves us. And all He asks is that we love God and one another in return.

What is going on in our lives that is distracting us from what is most important? What is so urgent that it is keeping us from showing love to those we care about? Can we put our daily activities on hold for a few minutes to listen to a friend or give a hug to our children? Can we put aside our chores for a few minutes to quiet our minds and lift our hearts to God in prayer thanking Him for all that is good and beautiful ? It does not take much effort. But if we do slow down long enough to acknowledge our God and pay attention to our precious loved ones, we will see our stress level diminishing and our interior peace increasing. As we stay focused on what’s most important, the minor details of our day will not seem as pressing. And we can enjoy all the blessings that God in His love lavishes us with.

We can all agree that love is a good and beautiful thing. Each of us would also agree that we could use more of it. But love can also be a scary thing. It demands so much from us. When it comes to religion, it is so much easier to just follow the rules than it is to actually love our neighbor. It is so much easier to sit through Mass than it is to give money to a homeless person or volunteer at a soup kitchen. The same is true with our families. It is so much easier to keep busy cleaning the house than it is to actually sit down and listen to our children. It is so much easier to work overtime than to get home early and surprise our husbands or wives with a night out. But, in the end, it is just such sacrificing that makes our lives worthwhile. We were created to love, and we are never as happy and as fulfilled than when we are putting the needs and interests of others before our own.

Probably the biggest complaint about religion is that there are too many rules. Well, today Jesus tells us that there is only one simple commandment we need to be concerned with. We are to love God above all else and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus showed us the way to love by giving His life on the cross. As He has loved us, we are to love one another by sacrificing ourselves for each other. It means visiting a lonely person, taking time to listen to a neighbor who is hurting or reaching out to a stranger who looks as though he could use a friend. They are small and simple steps but, when done with love, they have the power to change the world.

Marked By Love

They will know we are Christians by our love.

Christians do not dress differently from others. We do not speak another language or wear our hair differently. We eat the same foods as everyone else. What marks us as Christians is that we strive to love as Jesus loved. Everything we do -  from the simplest act of kindness to the bravest display of heroism - we seek to do with great love in imitation of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Just as importantly, we claim that nothing we do has any value unless it is done with love. Love makes all things pleasing to God. And so, we are meant to stand out from the crowd by our acts of love.

We have many names for God and many ways of describing him. We call him God the Almighty and Lord of Hosts. We call him our Creator. We describe him as just and merciful. In imitation of Jesus, we call him Father. But, the truest description of the God who is revealed in Jesus Christ is that he is love. God loves the world and all the people he created. He loves each of us. It is a marvel beyond the capacity of our minds to grasp and our imaginations to perceive. The One who made everything, the One who holds all creation in his hands, the One who guides all of history knows each of us and loves each of us!

Because God is love, when we love one another we are imitating God. Furthermore, since we are created in God's image and likeness, we are most fully ourselves and most fully alive when we love. Through love, we are fulfilling God's will for us. When we love, we are keeping all of God's commandments.

When Jesus is asked in the gospel to single out the greatest commandment of the Law, he replies with a quote from the book of Deuteronomy: "You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul and with all your mind". There is nothing new in this commandment. In fact, pious Jews recite it every day in their prayers. What Jesus does do which is new is that he connects this commandment with another commandment from the book of Leviticus, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  Now, loving God and loving neighbor go hand in hand. We cannot claim to love God and, all the while, despise our neighbor. This theme is repeated in today's first reading from the book of Exodus. God tells the people that if they abuse the foreigner and the poor, he will surely hear their cry. Because God loves and protects them, he expects us to love and protect them as well. In Jesus, there is no separating the worship we bring to the Father from the love we show our brothers and sisters. 

Jesus did something else which is totally new. Not only did he teach us that love of God and love of neighbor go hand in hand, but he gave us the greatest example of love, an example of love which we are to follow. He gave his life to save us. As he told his disciples at the Last Supper, "There is no greater love than to give one's life for a friend."  The love that Jesus teaches us to live is no warm feeling. It is a love which requires us to sacrifice ourselves for others. It is a love which compels us to act. It is the love of Saint Peter Claver who brought comfort to and fought for the release of slaves in the Americas. It is the love of Blessed Damien of Molokai who risked his health to serve lepers in Hawaii. It is the love of Saint Francis of Assisi who left all his possessions behind and the wealth of his father's house to be among the poor. It is the love of Mother Theresa who looked after the dying in the gutters of Calcutta. It is the love of Saint Maximilian Kolbe who, in a Nazi concentration camp, took the place of another man who was sentenced to death. We might not all be called upon to display such heroism. Most of us will show love in less dramatic and less costly ways. Nonetheless, when we love as Jesus loved we will be like him and bring his presence to those we meet.

Mother Angelica in her Little Book of Life Lessons & Everyday Spirituality, puts it this way:

We have the wrong idea of Christianity. We don’t understand that to know Jesus is to want to be like Him. Do you notice that after people reach fifty years of married life they put their pictures in the paper, and they look alike? Love does this. Love makes you like the person you love. If you really loved Jesus, you would look more and more like Him, each day. It isn’t who you are or what you are or how good or bad you are, you have been commissioned by God to reflect one of His attributes. Some of you will reflect the mercy of God by forgiving. Some of you will reflect the silence of God. Some will reflect the sweetness of God. You are to bear fruit for the glory of the Father. By conforming yourselves to God’s Will, you reflect, in a very small way, some of the beauty of God.

Now, imagine what the world would be like if we were all like Jesus. What if we all loved one another and puts the needs of others before our own needs. Imagine if no one went to sleep at night until they were sure that everyone else had something to eat and a warm place to sleep. This is not just an exercise in wishful thinking. It is the commandment of Christ. It is what Jesus expects of us who would call ourselves Christians - that we love one another as he has loved us.

Sanctity In The Public Square

People are often surprised to learn that many politicians became saints.

Some of them were kings, such as Saint Louis of France and Saint Stephen of Hungary. They were devout men who used their authority to ensure that the people under their rule were treated justly. Others, such as Queen Elizabeth of Portugal, used their wealth and positions of privilege to care for the poor. Rather than use their power to enrich themselves and ingratiate themselves with other powerful people, they served the needs of those who were less fortunate. Sometimes, as is the case with Saint Wenceslaus, the King of Bohemia, it cost them their lives.

There are also other saints who served as lower rank politicians. One was Saint Thomas More who served as chancellor under King Henry VIII. When the people of England were being forced to renounce the Catholic faith, he stood firm citing his duty to his conscience as greater than his duty to the king. Because of this position, he was beheaded in 1535.

We do not commonly think of politics as a path to holiness. But these women and men, by committing themselves to the service of their countries, relieved the burden of poverty, fought for the oppressed and ensured that families could enjoy peace and security. In doing so, they followed Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbor and to serve the poor. Now, in heaven, God has rewarded them for putting their power and wealth in the service of others.

Jesus’ words in today’s gospel, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s but give to God what is God’s” are often used to justify keeping religious people out of politics. Especially in today’s world, we think that religion should only be about worship on Sunday and should not have any influence on our day-to-day lives or how we vote. On the other hand, many people worry that bringing religion into the public square will only divide people and lead to violence.

There are also those who say that politics is a dirty business. It demands compromises that people of faith are incapable or unwilling to make. To advance one’s agenda often requires “spinning the truth”, which is a political way of saying “telling lies”. As the common belief goes, it is just not the type of business a person who aspires to live a good and holy life should get into.

However, our Christian faith does not exempt us from getting involved in the affairs of our city, state or country. Rather, it requires us to serve others and the common good. Our duty to love our neighbor requires that we speak up for the oppressed and serve the needy. Sometimes that means working to make sure laws are passed that respect the rights of workers. Sometimes that means fighting laws which discriminate against immigrants or the unborn. Other times it will require using our freedom of speech to influence others to recognize and respect the right to life for all people.

In doing so, we are not trying to impose our faith and beliefs on others. Rather we are advocating for rights, principles and responsibilities that people of all faith and those with no faith can agree upon. We can all agree that workers should be paid a decent wage. We can all agree that the rights of all people should be respected, especially those who are the weakest among us. We can all agree that human life is precious and that it should be protected, especially when it is most vulnerable. By speaking about these values which come from God but are shared by all people of goodwill, we are serving the common good rather than promoting any religion.

As people of faith we are required to be good citizens, to love our country and to follow its laws. It is a religious duty for us to vote in accordance with our conscience formed by solid reasoning. We should also involve ourselves on the local level in school committees, town meetings and city councils. By keeping informed about the issues that people in our neighborhoods are facing, we will be better able to serve when we are needed. It is often in these small and unnoticed ways that the faith of Christians can make a real difference in the life of the community.

Finally, we should treat politicians with honor and respect. It can be tempting to make fun of them when they fail or to demonize them when they take unpopular positions or ones that differ from our own beliefs. However, they have a difficult responsibility. We should keep them accountable for their actions but always in a spirit of charity, as we would like to be treated.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church  tells us

It is the duty of citizens to contribute along with the civil authorities

to the good of society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom.

The love and service of one’s country follow from the duty of gratitude

and belong to the order of charity (CCC 2239).

Jesus’ commandment to us to “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s” requires us to serve our brothers and sisters by working alongside them for the common good no matter their religion or beliefs. While not imposing our faith on others, we can use the insights we gain from the word of God and from the teaching of the Church to advance peace, justice and security for all people. Our faith also gives us the perspective to realize that we will never find a perfectly equitable political or economic system in this life. So we do not get discouraged when politicians or political parties let us down. We are not working for them but for a higher purpose. We serve with our eyes focused and our hearts fixed on the things that belong to God and the justice which His kingdom will firmly establish in the world to come.

Our Appeal To People Of Good Will

Shortly after Jesus’ death and resurrection, Christianity spread throughout all of the Roman Empire. At the time, the Empire was beginning its decline. The pagan culture was full of corruption. Most people lived with little concern for others or  for human life. Because of this, the most popular form of entertainment was to watch people kill each other in gladiator games. And there was no recognition of the rights of the individual. For no reason, the government routinely confiscated people’s goods, put them in jail and even had them killed. The Roman Empire had become a difficult place to live a good and peaceful life, especially for the poor.

But as Christianity became more popular and spread throughout the Empire, all this began to change. The Church first gained followers not only by her preaching of the gospel but also by her service to the poor. Much of the Church’s efforts were focused on bringing food to the hungry and finding shelter for the homeless. Though most pagans were suspicious of Christians, they could not help but admire their love for the destitute. As Christians became more influential and even found themselves in positions of authority in government, they were able to change many of the Empire’s corrupt practices. And, when Christianity was finally made legal in the fourth century, the influence of the Church put an end to such cruel practices as crucifixion, made child sacrifice illegal and strengthened the institution of marriage. Christians through their example of love and by their witness to faith in Jesus Christ were able to take as savage a place as Rome and make it at least somewhat more humane.

Jesus’ words in today’s gospel, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s.”, are often taken to mean that which should maintain a strict separation between our life of faith and our contribution as citizens. We are often told that we have a right to worship however we please, but we should not let our faith influence whom we vote for or what policies we support. Religion should be private, we are told, and anything that makes reference to God the Creator has no place in public life.

Now, imagine if the early Christians had lived that way. They would have kept to themselves, not helped the poor and not spoken out about corruption in government. Then nothing would have changed. Or imagine if people of faith had adopted that attitude in the face of slavery and civil rights issues. Then people would still be enslaved and denied their rights because of the color of their skin. In every generation, people of faith have risen up, inspired by Jesus’ gospel of love, to fight whatever harms the dignity of any of God’s children.

The same is true for us today. As a society we are faced with many challenges. Human life is coming increasingly under attack. We fail to protect the life of the innocent unborn child, and now many want to enact measures that make it easier for healthcare providers to end the lives of the sick and elderly. The institution of marriage which is the cornerstone of society is constantly being undermined. With the economy continuing to struggle,we look upon the poor and immigrants as problems to be solved rather than as our brothers and sisters whom we must love. Can the followers of Jesus stay silent when there is so much misery all around us? Can we keep our faith in a little box that we only open on Sunday when our neighbors are crying out for justice?

As followers of Jesus, we are called to influence the society around us and to transform it into one that puts people first. There are many ways that we can do this. First of all, we must do it by our example. The early Christians impressed their fellow citizens by their love for one another and by their care for the poor and destitute. We must do the same. However, it is not enough for us to give handouts to the needy. We must also befriend them. Poverty does much harm to people. Not only does it steal their sense of dignity, it also isolates them from society. Because they are ashamed of their circumstances, they withdraw from others and suffer intense loneliness. If we are to meet their deepest needs, we will not only provide them with a meal from time to time, but we will treat them as brothers and sisters, restoring their confidence in themselves, and helping them overcome whatever stands in the way of their living the full life that God intends for them.

The next way we can influence our government and society is by speaking out about the issues that threaten human freedom and dignity. We can do that by educating ourselves about these issues, speaking about them with our friends, writing our elected officials and by voting our conscience. Too often our politics is influenced more by the personality of candidates and  catchy sound bites rather than what is beneficial to the common good. Because of our faith, we can elevate the national debate by keeping the focus on the dignity of human life, the defence of marriage and family life and the needs of the poor.

It is true that our money bears the image of our presidents, kings and rulers. But each of us bears the image of One who is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Each of us bears the image and likeness of our Creator. And we are called to live His gospel of love and so transform the world around us. As Saint Paul urges us, we are to prove our faith by working in love. Jesus makes it clear that we will be judged by how we have treated the poor among us. Moreover,  our society has lost its way on so many critical issues and desperately needs the witness of Christians. Inspired by the message of love and hope we have discovered in the cross of Christ, we can go forth in the transforming power of the Spirit to make our world one marked by justice and peace.

Civic Commitment Informed By Faith

The oldest political trick in the book is to get your opponent to talk about anything else except the issues. We have seen this many times over the past year. They bring up something a candidate's pastor once said. They question a candidate's commitment to his or her family. Rumors are started about possible shady business dealings. All this in hopes of getting the opponent to be on the defensive. Then the press will focus on the candidate's weaknesses rather than his or her strengths. Little by little, support for the candidate begins to diminish as he or she is required to talk about everything else except the issues.

This is a tactic which the enemies of Jesus tried often. In one famous episode from the gospel recorded by Matthew, Jesus is asked whether it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. By asking him whether or not Jews should pay taxes, they hoped to catch him in a trap. If Jesus said they should pay taxes, he would lose support among his followers who opposed the Roman occupation of Israel. If he said they shouldn't pay taxes, then the religious leaders would have cause to report him to the Roman authorities as an insurrectionist. Whichever way Jesus answered, his enemies hoped that he would have to keep explaining himself, digging himself into a deeper hole and losing support among the people. 

As usual, though, Jesus is far more clever than his adversaries. His answer has become one of the most quoted verses from the Bible: "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar; but give to God what belongs to God."

  

When we hear Jesus' words, we have to ask ourselves: What exactly belongs to Caesar? What do we owe to our government and to our fellow citizens? We have a responsibility to pay taxes and follow the laws. Being blessed to live in a democracy, we also have a responsibility to vote and to voice our opinion. Along with that, we must study the issues facing our society and form our consciences so that our opinions are based on sound logic and good moral principles. All these elements go into being good and responsible citizens. God expects that of us, especially as he has blessed us with a country which values freedom so highly.

Too often, however, Jesus' words, "give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's", are quoted by adversaries of the Church who try to tell us that religion has no place in political life. They are using that old political tactic of trying to keep us from talking about the issues. When they claim a wall of separation between Church and State, they hope that people of faith won't become involved in the national debate about abortion, homosexual marriage, the death penalty or stem cell research. They tell us that people of faith should keep their opinions to themselves. They dare to say that we have no right to voice our opinion because it is informed and motivated by faith. Sad to say, too often Christians have taken that criticism to heart and left their faith at the door when they entered the voting booth. 

But, it is absolutely un-American to believe that someone has less of a freedom of speech because his or her ideas are informed and motivated by religious faith. As a country, we have fought to guarantee that all people have the freedom to voice their opinions no matter what their source or what their content. Should a person's beliefs and opinions be excluded because that person is a Catholic Christian? Why are the opinions of Catholics any different from the ideas proposed by environmentalists, animal rights supporters or business people? Like every other American, we have a right and a duty to witness to our faith even in the political arena.

And, the fact is that people of faith have always been a part of the political process in our country. In the last century, it was the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., a man of faith, who led the fight to guarantee civil rights for all people regardless of race. In the nineteenth century, people of faith were among those who stirred the conscience of our nation to recognize the evil of slavery. And, many of the drafters of the constitution and forefathers of the country were informed and motivated by their faith to make America a place of freedom and opportunity. In this century, it is up to us now to take up the cause of justice and to witness to the dignity of every human person no matter how weak or how vulnerable.

As a church, we must never endorse a political candidate or a political party. We can never fall into the trap of partisan politics. But, we do have a right and a duty to speak to the issues facing the society in which we live, work and raise our children. Because of our faith, we have much to offer. We have insights regarding the dignity of the human person, the sacredness of human life, the importance of the family and the role of government in protecting the most vulnerable of our citizens. As Pope John Paul II said so often, as a Church we do not seek to impose our views but to propose them to society, to enrich the debate through the witness of our faith.

Governments come and go. Political leaders come and go. But, God's word endures forever. The Church has survived numerous governments, both good and bad, from the Roman Empire, through the Middle Ages, through Nazism and Communism to the present day. As a community of faith we have a treasury of wisdom built up over those many centuries which we must share with the people of our day and use to strengthen our society. Let us pray that we will have the courage to speak the truth of the gospel even in the public arena and pray also for our leaders that they may be inspired by a vision of justice that will lead us to true peace.

A Feast For The Poor

It was a call that left 27 year-old Quinn shocked and in disbelief.

Her fiancé’ told her over the phone that he could not go through with their wedding. He just wasn’t sure he wanted to spend his life with her.

Feeling devastated, she was left with the embarrassing task of telling her family and friends that the wedding would not take place.

Adding to her pain was the realization that the $35,000 she had already spent on the 120 person banquet they had planned would not be refunded.

Rather than let it all go to waste, Quinn’s mother came up with the idea of still having the banquet but inviting the homeless of their city to enjoy it instead. So, what would have otherwise been a sad occasion and a waste of food became an opportunity to share their abundance with the less fortunate. People who were not used to having three meals a day or being waited on by professional staff were showing up to feast on sumptuous appetizers, salmon and sirloin.

While it was still painful for the family to have the wedding canceled, giving back to their community by feeding the poor brought some joy into what would otherwise have been an unbearable day. As Quinn’s mother put it, “I feel a lot of heartache and heartbreak for [my daughter], but I will take something good from this.”

In many ways, the story of Quinn’s canceled wedding is like the parable Jesus tells in today’s gospel. However, it is not the groom who fails to show up to the banquet but the invited guests. The king decides to hold the feast anyway but shares his special day with the homeless, the poor and the sick. As in all His parables, Jesus is teaching us something about how God’s Kingdom operates in this world. Though everyone is invited, it is typically the needy who answer His call. The rich and the powerful, on the other hand, do not believe they need God and so turn their attention to the passing things of this world convinced that money, status and influence can save them.

That brings us to this gathering here today.

God is setting before us a sumptuous feast. The first course is His word taken from the Bible. He feeds our souls, hearts and minds with His wisdom. When we proclaim the Scriptures at Mass, it is God Himself who speaks to us. When we are feeling afraid, we are comforted by the words of today’s responsorial psalm - “Besides restful waters he leads me.” When we are feeling complacent and comfortable, we hear Jesus tell us in the gospel - “Many are invited but few are chosen.” And when we wonder how we will make ends meet, we hear Saint Paul tell us in today’s second reading - “My God will fully supply whatever you need, in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” When we pay attention to the Scriptures proclaimed at Mass and let them penetrate our being, we feel as satisfied as if we had just finished a delicious meal.

The second course of this banquet is served to us on this altar. Jesus Christ feeds us His very self - His Body and Blood - in the Eucharist. There is no other spiritual gift greater than what we receive every Sunday at this table. There is no food that is more satisfying than the Blessed Sacrament. Through it, we are united personally with Christ Himself who comes to dwell within us. Our souls are filled with light, peace and joy as we welcome Jesus into our hearts. Because of this incredible gift of God, we can echo the words of the responsorial psalm - “You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

And we are the ones blessed to have said “yes” to the invitation to take part in this feast. Like the parable in today’s gospel, many have refused that invitation. They have decided that sleeping in late, going out for brunch or working in their yard is a better use of their time than gathering with God’s people to hear His word and receive the Eucharist.

As a parish, all of us would like to see these pews filled with worshippers. However, like the woman whose fiancé’ jilted her or the king whose subjects failed to show up at his son’s wedding, we need to turn our attention to the poor and the needy. Perhaps we need to invite the homeless, the migrant and the mentally ill into this banquet. After all, they are the ones who really are in need.

What if, when we pass someone panhandling on the street, we were to give him a copy of our parish bulletin and invite him to join us for Mass? What if, before coming to church, we were to go to every park bench and ask the homeless to share a pew with us? It wouldn’t take long for the word to go around that we are a community willing to welcome all God’s people no matter how poor or humble. And we would become, in short order, a living witness to the gospel message that Jesus came to bring good news to the poor.

At the same time, it would mean a big change in attitude for most of us. How comfortable would we feel sitting next to someone who smells? Could we resist the temptation to turn away when someone offers us a dirty hand at the sign of peace? And would we still be willing to worship here if we knew that, any given Sunday,  someone in the parking lot might hold a cup out to us and ask if we have any spare change? There is nothing sentimental or glamorous about being a Church that reflects the Kingdom of God by opening its doors to the poor and needy.

Nonetheless, if we could really live Jesus’ message in the gospel, we just might find that we who consider ourselves sophisticated, civilized and even devout have much to learn from our needy brothers and sisters. We might discover that, as we reach out to feed the hungry, we are fed in return by the rich banquet of God’s love and mercy. 

The Joy Of Saying "YES"

Our Heavenly Father is delighted that we are here today. He rejoices that we are taking time this day to gather as His people, hear His word and receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

This great banquet of love has been centuries in the making. He first offered Himself to the people of Israel as a paschal lamb which they ate before fleeing from slavery in Egypt. As they traveled through the desert to the Promised Land, He fed them with manna to sustain their journey. The prophets continually foretold that the coming of the Messiah would be like a wedding banquet. It is just such a proclamation that we hear in today’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah. “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines...” Finally, when Jesus appeared, He gave us His body and blood in the form of bread and wine at the Last Supper. This Blessed Sacrament would be the way that we could continue to draw life from the saving power of His death and resurrection throughout the centuries.

Our gathering today is really a partial fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in today’s first reading. Our Heavenly Father has prepared a banquet for us. The first course is His holy word which reveals to us His loving mercy and instructs us in how to live a good life. When we hear the scriptures proclaimed, we are hearing God’s own voice echoing down to us through the centuries. The second course is the Body and Blood of Jesus which is given to us in the form of bread and wine. When the priest prays the words of institution, that is, the very words that Jesus spoke at the Last Supper, then the gifts we offer are no longer bread and wine but truly the Body and Blood of Jesus. Can you think of any finer food that could be given to us? Can you think of any greater feast we could celebrate?

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells the parable of a king who sends out invitations to his son’s wedding banquet. When the people rejected the invitation, he reached out to them again reminding them just what it was that they were missing. “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.” We can hear the sadness and hurt in his voice that no one had responded to his generous invitation. However, he did not call the banquet off, but reached out to others of lower social status to fill the banquet hall and join him in celebrating the marriage of his son.

That is why God is delighted with us today. We are among those who accepted the invitation to join in this banquet of love. Like the wedding feast in the parable, we are a mixture of good and bad. We have great saints among us and great sinners. We have those who live the faith everyday and those who are just going through the motions. Very often the great sinners and the great saints are the same people! However, despite our weakness, despite our failings, despite our doubt, we come to this feast. No matter where we are in our walk of faith, Jesus welcomes us and rejoices that we have said “Yes” to His invitation.

At the same time, we cannot help but carry a heavy heart for those who have rejected the invitation, for those who have found other things to do than join us for the celebration of the Eucharist today. There may be a thousand reasons why they chose to say “no”, and, of course, it is not our place to judge them. However, what often happens is that people make bad choices and fall into patterns of sin. Sin always makes us focus in on ourselves. Eventually, we get to a point at which we think that it is impossible for us to turn back. We imagine that God could never forgive us because of everything we have done. Other times, pride blinds us. We refuse to admit that we have done anything wrong, anything that we need to ask forgiveness for.

Jesus makes it perfectly clear - He came to call sinners. Whenever a sinner turns to Him, He rejoices. He never rejects anyone who comes to Him with a sincere heart. Even when He knows we will fail again, He always welcomes us with an open heart. He longs to show His mercy to us. The greater a sinner we are the more He rejoices in lavishing His mercy on us. There is no reason to stay away from the banquet that God has prepared for us, to turn away from Jesus’ mercy or to continue enslaved in patterns of hate, addiction or corruption.

It is up to us, then, who are enjoying this rich banquet and who have feasted on the Divine Mercy to extend the invitation to others. It is as simple as saying to a friend or family member, “Why don’t you join me at church this Sunday?” If that does not work, we can always share with others what we learned at Mass, what great programs are underway in our parish or diocese, or how faith in Christ has changed us. By sharing our faith, we give others something to think about which then opens a path for the Holy Spirit to work. Finally, we can always pray for those who have left the faith, that whatever hurts they have experienced will be healed and that whatever obstacle keeps them from joining us will be cleared away. In the end, it is God’s work to send out the invitation and to choose who will be welcome.

Soon we will hear the words, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb.” We are truly blessed beyond measure to gather every Sunday to hear God’s word and receive Jesus’ Body and Blood. It is both a fulfillment of what the prophets foretold and a foretaste of the wedding feast of heaven when Jesus will unite Himself fully with His bride, the Church. Until that day, we strive to fill this church with those willing to accept the invitation, no matter their social status, income or race. This makes our Heavenly Father’s joy complete!

The Hound Of Heaven

Poor Francis Thompson just could not find his way in life.

He was born in 1859 in Lancashire, England. Like his father, he studied to be a doctor but could never keep up with his classwork. After failing the medical examination three times, he decided to give everything up and move to London to be a writer.

However, the big city was not kind to young Francis. Unable to find work, he became homeless and was reduced to selling matches on the street corner. It was also during this time that he became addicted to opium and any money he managed to earn went to supporting his habit. Francis, finding himself in a state of utter destitution, cried out to God for help.

A prostitute noticed him in an alley close to death from starvation. She took him in, fed him and nursed him back to health. Off the streets, he decided to dedicate himself to his dream of writing poetry. After his first poem was published, he entered a monastery for two years to try to break his addiction to drugs. During this time, he wrote some of his most moving poetry and finally found the success he had hoped for.

However, the years on the street had taken their toll. He finally died of tuberculosis in 1907 at the age of 48.

Though he had lived a short life, his poems went on to inspire many other writers. His most famous poem is called “The Hound of Heaven”. In it, he describes God as a hound who relentlessly pursues him. No matter how hard he tries to flee from Him, God continues to chase after him. No matter how destitute he became as a drug addict, God never gave up on him. He finally has to stop and ask himself why he was trying so hard to escape from God’s love.

The poem is not easy to read, but it conveys a powerful and beautiful truth about our Heavenly Father. He loves each one of us with a burning passion. He cannot rest until He has found a way to reach us. No matter how hard we try to avoid Him, no matter what other choices in life we may make, He will not give up on us. There is nothing we can do to make Him love us any less or to keep Him from trying to convince us to love Him back.

The many parables that Jesus tells are all concerned with this great love of God for His people. In today’s gospel, He tells the story of a king who sends out invitations to his son’s wedding. Though the guests fail to respond to his invitation, he will not take no for an answer. If the invited guests fail to arrive, he insists on inviting others no matter how lowly they may be. He will have his son’s wedding banquet filled with people no matter the cost.

Like the king in the parable, God has sent an invitation to each of us, and He is waiting for our response.

It may often seem to us that we are the ones who are seeking God, but the opposite is in fact true. God is searching for us. No matter what it is we think we may want in life whether it be happiness or love or meaning, all of it can be found in our Heavenly Father. There is nothing we desire in life that God cannot provide for us. After all, He created us and everything in this wonderful world. If we would only stop and let Him catch up to us, we might just begin to realize it.

Why do we so often hide from God and not open the invitation we have received from him? Could it be that we are just so wrapped up with the concerns of daily life to answer His call? Is His invitation left on the table along with the junk mail and unpaid bills? Or are we afraid that if we  accept His invitation we will have to change? Are we afraid what God might ask of us if we do say yes to Him?

It is natural to be concerned about the cost of following Jesus. It is not easy to live the message He preached and to accept the invitation to live a life of total trust in Him. But we should never forget that there is also a high cost to saying no to that invitation. It means spending our lives chasing things that in the end can never satisfy us. It often means years of  feeling empty inside and wondering what is missing. It often means literally exhausting ourselves to earn success and accumulate possessions that fail to give us the security and status we thought they would. And, in the end, it could mean that we would have lived our whole lives on this planet without fulfilling the purpose for which we were created - to know, love and serve God.

God is seeking each of us out. He sent His Son to make clear to us how much He loves us and how desperately He wants us to love Him in return. We do not have to go looking for God because He is already looking for us. All we have to do is stop and let Him catch us. All we have to do is stop allowing fear to keep us on the run. Then we can accept the invitation to a personal relationship with the God who created us. We can know the joy and peace that our hearts were created to feel. We can stop running and start living.

The King Requests Your Presence

It has been several years now when the whole world was caught up in the wedding of England's Prince William to Kate Middleton.  Every detail of the ceremony was reported on the front page of newspapers throughout the world. It was the lead story of every news program. Imagine how honored those who were actually invited to the wedding must have felt. It would be impossible to believe that anyone would have declined to attend because they had something better to do.  No one would have missed what turned out to be one of the great social events of the century.

Those listening to Jesus' parable in today's gospel must have been asking themselves, "Who wouldn't accept an invitation from a king? Why would anyone refuse to go when it is the king himself requesting their presence?" Even if they hated the king, they would have wanted to show respect out of fear that he would hold it against them and punish them. But, the people in the parable not only refuse to show up, they maltreat and even kill the messengers. They act with no respect and no fear of the king's power, and so the king shows them no mercy. 

Who is the king if not God himself? And, who is invited to this great banquet if not all of humanity, all of us? We realize that it is our Creator - the maker of heaven and earth - who calls each of us to friendship with him. God himself honors each of us by inviting us to share in his very life. Such an invitation should fill us with awe and joy. But, so often, we decline to respond and even refuse to show up. For some unfathomable reason throughout all the world, God's invitation to know, love and serve him goes without a response or with an outright rejection.

Nonetheless, for a reason which is even more mysterious, God never tires of extending the invitation to us. As many times as we may refuse him, he turns back to us with another opportunity to fill ourselves with the riches of his banquet. Like the king in the parable, he will have his ballroom filled. One of the great saints of the Church, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, once wrote that God pursues us with intense love and devotion as if we were his god. The greatest example of this is the cross. God did not spare his own Son in his pursuit of us. And so we can be sure that God will not spare anything else to draw us into the life he has prepared for us in heaven.

Not only must we accept God's invitation for ourselves, but we must help God to extend that invitation to others. We are here today because we have said "yes". We have experienced the sumptuous banquet of God's life and love and have come back for seconds. Yet, so many in our world are unaware of the invitation which God has extended to them. They are busy with other concerns which seem more pressing. All the while, they are feeling the emptiness and pangs of a hunger they cannot identify. Their lives lack purpose and meaning, and they don't know what to do about it. We have the answer. We know what it is they are longing for because we have tasted God's goodness. For us not to tell them about the peace and joy we have found at the banquet of God's Word and at the table of the Eucharist would be like refusing food to someone who is starving. We must never fail to speak to everyone we meet about the hope and the peace we have discovered by saying "yes" to God's invitation to friendship with him.

In God's vast and infinite love, he has spread a rich banquet before us. For over two thousand years, saints have found inspiration and sinners forgiveness around this table. As we approach Jesus in the Eucharist, we cannot forget those who have failed to respond or have rejected God's love for some unknown reason. As we pray for ourselves that we never be separated from Christ, we must also pray for those who have yet to respond that they will say "yes" so that this banquet place may be full to honor God's Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.