God Has A Plan

God has a plan.

It began with the dawn of creation when He brought all things into being from nothing. At the center of His creation, He placed Adam and Eve. His plan was that they would enjoy an intimate friendship with Him and make use of all the goods of Paradise. Even when they disobeyed Him, God continued to bless them. Though they and their children would no longer be able to live forever in Paradise because of their sin, God promised to one day save them from the power of death.

God had a plan for Abraham. Though he was an old man, God promised that He would make of him a great nation. Abraham believed and obeyed, leaving his homeland to settle in the land that God promised to give him. Because of his faith, God raised up the people of Israel. They would be His people and He would be their God.

God had a plan for Moses. As a baby, God spared him from being killed by the Egyptians. Appearing to him in the burning bush, the Lord called him to free His people from slavery. Through many powerful acts, God used Moses to convince Pharaoh to let His people go free. The greatest act of them all was parting the Red Sea to deliver His people from the chariots and armies of the Egyptians. For forty years, the Lord led His people through the desert to the land He had prepared for them. Even when they disobeyed Him, He never abandoned them.

God had a plan for the people of Israel. They would be the people that He chose to reveal His love. By following His law, they would be a light to the whole world. He established a kingdom for them through David. Even when the people disobeyed God, He sent prophets to promise them that He would send a Messiah to save them.

God’s plan reached its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. He is the new Adam who restores Paradise to us. Like Abraham, He remained obedient to God even unto death. Because of His faithfulness, our Heavenly Father has created a new family through Him. Jesus is the new Moses, leading us out of slavery to sin. Finally, Jesus is the new David, the longed for Messiah, whose kingdom will never end. By raising Jesus from the dead, God fulfilled all the promises He made to the people of Israel.

God has a plan for you and me. Before we were born, He already knew and loved us. In baptism, He chose us to be His beloved daughters and sons and  gave us the promise of everlasting life.  Jesus’ victory over death is now our victory. When we give our lives to Him, His plan to raise us up to new life can become a reality in us. The freedom from sin He won for us on the cross already begins to take effect as we feel sorrow for our bad choices and begin to desire to live good and holy lives. His Spirit works in and through us to accomplish good works. The world begins to see the difference that faith in God makes by the transformation it causes within us.

Today’s world tells us that faith and religion are relics which should be relegated to the past. They should have no place in the modern world. However, all of history belongs to God. He was active in the past, He is active now and He is leading us to our future which will culminate in Jesus’ Second Coming. Without God, there is no future. However, if we submit ourselves to His plan, we can have hope that our Heavenly Father has all things under control and that, no matter what happens, He will make all things work together for our good.

We began our Easter celebration this evening by blessing the Easter candle. We said the words,

            Christ yesterday and today

            the beginning and the end

            Alpha

            and Omega

            all time belongs to him           

            and all the ages

            to him be glory and power

            through every age for ever. Amen

God’s plan is to bring all things into one through Christ Jesus. As we renew our baptismal vows tonight, let us recommit ourselves to cooperating with God’s plan for us by making His will the center of our lives. Then we will know the victory over sin and death that we celebrate this holy Easter night.

A Faith Bigger Than Fear

From a young age, Kayla Mueller dedicated her life in service to others. Inspired by her motto, “Let your faith be bigger than your fear,” she traveled to India, Palestine and Israel to give whatever she could to those who suffer. The plight of those living in conditions of poverty, famine and war touched her heart so deeply that she could not just turn away and do nothing. As she once told a reporter, "For as long as I live, I will not let this suffering be normal. [I will not let this be] something we just accept...It's important to stop and realize what we have, why we have it and how privileged we are."

As the conflicts in Syria and Iraq escalated, her heart turned to the plight of the refugees displaced by the violence. At the age of 26, she joined a humanitarian group working on the border of Turkey and Syria. In August 2013, after leaving a hospital in Aleppo, Syria, she was kidnapped by the terror group, ISIS and held captive for eighteen months. She was killed this year while still in captivity. Though the circumstances of her death remain unclear, ISIS claims that she perished in a bomb strike by the Jordanian military.

Her dedication to serving those who suffer wherever they may be has touched many hearts and inspired others to do the same. There is no doubt that her love for others was motivated by a desire to encounter God in the needy. In a letter to her father in 2011, she wrote these remarkable words: "I will always seek God. Some people find God in church. Some people find God in nature. Some people find God in love; I find God in suffering. I've known for some time what my life's work is, using my hands as tools to relieve suffering."

Many times we Catholics are asked why we portray the cross with Jesus’ body hanging on it when He has risen from the dead. The answer is simple. Though Jesus hung on the cross for only three hours, He continues to suffer in all those who struggle in poverty, flee from violence and endure sickness. When we look upon the crucifix, we do not only remember what Jesus did to save us but how He continues to suffer in the weak and disabled. We find comfort in our own suffering and inspiration to alleviate the suffering of our neighbor.

Jesus came to reveal God to us. As we heard in today’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah, He came as one who suffers to make it clear that He has not abandoned us in our misery. He is by our side, suffering alongside us, strengthening us to bear our burden. It is easy to catch glimpses of God’s face in the beauty of nature, in the tenderness of love or in the pageantry of a church service. However, to find God in the suffering of others requires a heart softened by empathy. To find God in our own suffering requires a heart broken by humility.

The cross is the real test of faith. It reveals where our heart lies. It answers the question, “Is it God I am seeking or something else?” If I am seeking something other than God, I will run away when I am persecuted for my faith. When following Jesus becomes too demanding, I will look for another way. If I am seeking my own comfort or the praise of others, the cross will make it clear.

However, if it is truly God I am seeking, nothing will deter me. The rejection and ridicule of family and friends will only convince me the more that I can only rely on God. When difficulties arise because of my faith, it will only spur me on to seek God no matter what. If it is God whom I truly seek, then I will look for Him not only in the good but in the bad. When I come face to face with the cross, I will embrace it rather than flee from it.

The suffering of Jesus on the cross teaches us that God alone is all we need and that we can find Him in those who suffer. We find Him in the faces of those who look to us to comfort them. We find Him in ourselves when we unite our suffering to His and experience how it is transformed through love.

If we find our own suffering or the suffering of those around us too much to bear, we have Mary as an example. Out of love for her son, she stood at the foot of the cross. It is a fate no mother should have to experience, but she endured it out of love for Him and for us. She can teach us how to remain faithful and how to transform our suffering through love. She can help us to understand how we can find God even in the most senseless and horrifying of circumstances.

On this Good Friday, we hold up the wood of the cross as the world’s only salvation. It is a bold statement in a world where so many continue to suffer. Yet if we abandon ourselves to God, seek Him alone and serve those in need we will see darkness transformed into light, pain transformed into joy and death transformed into life.

In a word, we will experience the power of the Resurrection only when we embrace the wood of the cross.

Jesus' Ongoing Presence

In 1932, a popular magazine asked the English author, G.K. Chesterton, to write an article with the title, “How Would Jesus Solve the World’s Problems If He Were Alive Today?”. In his usual style, Chesterton surprised the editors by answering the question in an unexpected way. He wrote that Jesus is indeed still alive today. He makes His presence known on altars all over the world. And He is indeed still helping to solve the world’s problems by inspiring the hearts of those who believe in Him and moving their hands to help their neighbors in need.

Tonight, we gather here to celebrate Jesus’ ongoing presence in our world. We commemorate the supper He shared with His apostles in which He left us the gift of His Body and Blood. Though we call this meal, “The Last Supper”, it really should be called “The First Supper”, because it was a meal that, from then on, would be repeated throughout history right down to this very night. On this altar and on altars all over the world, our Risen Lord Jesus reveals Himself to us in the bread and wine we offer. Not only does He reveal Himself, but He offers Himself to us once again. We receive His Body into our bodies so that we can be united with Him always.

Jesus is still alive among us. He brings comfort to those in sorrow. Many times people sit quietly in this church pouring their troubles out before Jesus in the Eucharist. They pray for their children, they agonize over their jobs and they sob over the loved ones they have lost. Encountering Jesus in this tabernacle, they bring Him their fears and He gives them faith. They bring Him their despair and He inspires them with hope. They bring Him their cold hearts and He fires them up with a burning love. All this takes place here and throughout the world because of the tremendous gift of the Eucharist which Jesus left to us on this Holy Thursday night.

In today’s world, it can be difficult to believe that Jesus can really be present in the form of bread and wine. We disbelieve what we cannot see for ourselves. As a result, we tend to treat the Eucharist as merely a symbol of Jesus’ presence rather than what it really is, His true Body and Blood. However, when we approach Mass with that attitude, we miss out on all the graces that Jesus wants to offer us in this Blessed Sacrament. We miss out on the comfort of His presence in our hearts. We miss out on being touched by the love He has for us. We miss out on the transforming power of His love. Whenever we find ourselves doubting the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, we must beg God to open our eyes so that we can receive all that He has to give us through this most holy mystery He instituted for us on this Holy Thursday night.

Jesus is still alive and active in the world today through the mystery of the Holy Eucharist. However, there is another mysterious way in which He makes His presence known in today’s world. It is through us who believe in Him. When we receive Holy Communion, we become His Body. As such, we bring His presence out into the world. It is up to us to bring Jesus’ comfort to those who are mourning. It is up to us to feed the hungry. It is up to us, through the power we receive in the Eucharist, to serve our sisters and brothers in need.

Jesus makes this clear in tonight’s gospel by washing His apostles’ feet. In doing so He left them and us an example to follow. If we believe that Jesus humbles Himself enough to offer Himself to us in the form of bread and wine, then we must become humble enough to offer ourselves to one another no matter how dirty the job. Only in that way can Christ’s presence radiate from this place of worship to a suffering world. As Saint Teresa of Avila put it in her beautiful poem, “Christ has no hands now but ours.”

Jesus is alive and active in the world today through the Eucharist we celebrate and through the service that Christians offer on behalf of the poor. This is the night when we celebrate that loving presence and commit ourselves more earnestly to work on behalf of those who are longing to know the consolation that only God can give.

It is an ancient tradition on this Holy Thursday night to end our celebration by spending an hour in prayer before our Lord in the Eucharist. Just as He asked His disciples to stay awake one hour with Him as He agonized over the cruel death He would suffer, He asks us to do so as well. During that time, let us ask to experience the comfort that comes from believing that He is present in our midst. Let us also ask Him to strengthen our hands to do His work. Then, there will be no question that He is alive and present in this suffering world.

Praise And Ridicule

There are few contrasts as great as the ones we experience in today’s readings.

We opened the Mass proclaiming the glorious entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The crowd shouts “Hosanna!” as he rides triumphantly into the city. The people throw down their cloaks before Him and wave palm branches. The mood is festive and jubilant as Christ receives the praise He is due as the Eternal Son of God and Messiah. Through it all, Jesus remains silent, accepting the adulation of the crowd without getting carried away by their excitement.

The whole scene changed dramatically, however, when we proclaimed the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark. We see Jesus in anguish as He asks His Father to take the cup of suffering away from Him. We hear the dismay in His voice when Peter, James and John fail to stay awake even one hour with Him. Then, He remains silent as he faces arrest, an unjust trial and crucifixion. The words of the prophet Isaiah which we heard in today’s first reading come to mind: “I have set my face like flint knowing I will not be put to shame.”

Jesus’ attitude remains the same whether He is being praised or ridiculed, whether people are waving palm branches at Him or beating Him with whips. At all times, He displays a peaceful, silent demeanor. Because His desire is to please God rather than men, it does not matter to Him whether others are following Him or turning away from Him. He is focused resolutely on nothing else except His Heavenly Father’s will. And if it is His Father’s will that He should “give His life as a ransom for the many” through death on a cross, He will do it trusting fully in God’s love.

If we are going  to be followers of Jesus, then we must adopt the same attitude. Our focus must always be on God’s will and not on what others expect of us. To be truly Christian, our desire to please God must be greater than our fear of ridicule from men. Like Jesus, we must be equally comfortable being made fun of as being praised. If we are worried about how others will judge us, we will never pick up our cross and follow Jesus as Simon the Cyrene does and as we are invited to do. We will always be looking over our shoulder taking our cue from what others are doing rather than from what God wills for us. People and their expectations are always changing but God remains the same yesterday, today and forever.

And so we begin this Holy Week remembering how Christ triumphantly entered the city of Jerusalem to suffer and die for us so that we may be saved. Can we accept what little suffering comes our way out of love for Him? Since He has done so much for us, should we not be more concerned about what His will for us is than what others - who have done little if nothing by comparison - expect of us?

Vanquishing Death

Over the centuries, the city of Jerusalem had seen many kings and conquerors enter its gates. They came in full armor, standing on chariots with hundreds of soldiers in their entourage. However, Jerusalem had never seen anyone like Jesus before. Like the others, He came to lay claim to the city as its King and Savior. However, unlike them, He rode a young horse, wearing the tunic of a poor Jewish carpenter with fishermen, beggars, prostitutes and tax collectors in His entourage.

Nonetheless, the people came from all over the city waving palm branches and laying their cloaks in the street to welcome Him as their King and Savior. They recognized that He wielded a different kind of power than those other kings who brought swords and soldiers with them. Those kings could only assert their authority over other men and kingdoms. Jesus has a greater authority. He commands demons and they come shrieking out of those they have possessed. He has authority over sickness. He multiplies loaves and fishes, walks on water and even raises the dead.

Jesus comes to the city to fight a battle against our bitterest enemy - Death. Every king who entered into Jerusalem, no matter how powerful, eventual had to succumb to death. Jesus came not only to conquer a city but to conquer a kingdom - the kingdom of Death. During this week, He will take on Himself all the cruelties that man can deliver - insults, tortures and, finally, crucifixion. He will hand His spirit over to His Father, be laid in a tomb and go down to the nether world. Like every human being, He will experience Death. However, He will rise on the third day as He promised. He survives even Death. It has no more power over Him.

Many kings have come since Jesus, one more powerful than the next. They have commanded continents, found more sophisticated ways of subjugating their enemies and developed terrifying weapons. As mighty as they have all seemed, none has been able to conquer Death. Not even in our own day, with all the advances we have made in science and technology, has any sane person claimed to have found a “cure” for Death.  Only Jesus can make that claim. Do we not have to admit, then, that He is the most powerful man who has ever lived? And, if He is, then must we not swear our allegiance to Him as our King and Savior?

If the words that the people cry out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!...Hosanna in the highest!”, sound familiar, it is because they are the same words we use at Mass just before the Eucharistic prayer: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts! Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!” With these words we welcome Jesus, our King and Savior, into this temple. We acknowledge that our Risen Lord is present in our midst. We celebrate His victory over sin and death.

In this place, He also makes a promise to us. If we believe in Him, if we make Him the Lord of our life, He will share His victory over Death with us. He says, “Those who eat the bread that I will give will never die but will have eternal life.” When we eat the body He offered upon the cross and drink from the chalice which is the blood of the new covenant, His eternal life passes into us. We will still have to fight our own battle with Death and, like Jesus, our heart will stop beating and we will hand over our spirit to the Father in Heaven. However, like Jesus, we will pass on to a new and everlasting life. We will be raised again with Jesus and Death will no longer be able to threaten us again or separate us from those we love. The victory is ours if we believe and welcome Jesus as the Lord of our hearts.

We begin this Holy Week commemorating Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Though He was the most powerful man to ever walk the earth, He humbled Himself to experience Death for our sakes so that we could enter into the everlasting life that He has with God in Heaven. The best way to remember His great love is not by waving palm branches but by having the same humble attitude He did, as Saint Paul urges us in today’s second reading from the Letter to the Philippians. We must live His victory over sin and death by overcoming our own temptations, alleviating the suffering of those around us and struggling against the current culture of death which denies the dignity and right to life of every human being. Then, when Jesus comes again to take possession of the whole world, we can bend the knee with all creation and cry out, “Jesus Christ is Lord!” to the glory of God the Father.

Entering In Triumph - Raised Up In Glory

Every year of his life, Jesus made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, the commemoration of His people’s freedom from slavery in Egypt. For most of those years, He went unnoticed. He blended in with the crowds who prayed in the temple and offered sacrifice according to the Jewish law.

However, today things are different. Jesus enters triumphantly into the Holy City. Rather than walking through the gates of the city, He rides a donkey. Rather than join the bustling crowd filing its way through the cobblestone streets, He enters the city as part of a festive parade with crowds chanting His name, laying their cloaks on the street before Him and waving palm branches in celebration.

The crowds gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover that year had a sense that something was about to change. They had the feeling that somehow they were part of an historic occurrence, a once in a lifetime opportunity to witness history in the making. The atmosphere was charged with excitement and anticipation. And Jesus was at the center of it all.

Those crowds could not have known that in only a few short days the man they hailed as Messiah would be executed as a criminal. They could not have known that they would soon turn on Him and demand His crucifixion. Much less could the political and religious leaders who were already planning His death know that, within a week’s time, He would rise from the dead and change the course of history forever. They were all part of an historic event, but they could not yet begin to grasp its meaning for themselves and for the world.

Jesus enters the Holy City of Jerusalem as its King and Messiah. But unlike an earthly king, He does not conquer through military power. He does not rally His disciples to attack His opponents or devise a plan to coerce the people to hand power over to Him. Rather He comes as the Suffering Servant described in today’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah. He defeats evil by doing good. He returns a blessing for a curse and forgiveness for injury. He refuses to attack those who arrest Him or to defend Himself against those who torture Him. And by so doing, He changes everything.

We stand here today as we have for just about every year of our lives to commemorate the suffering and death that Jesus underwent to save us from the slavery of sin and death. We remember as Saint Paul tells us in today’s second reading, how He came down to earth that we may be lifted up to Heaven and how He emptied Himself that we may be filled. Jesus suffered it all for you and for me. Why? Simply because He loves us and He wants us to know His Heavenly Father’s love for us. We must also realize that it was because of our sin that He died on the cross. If we were to leave this place and continue living sinful lives, we would be no better than the crowds who so shortly turned on Jesus after welcoming Him with such fanfare.

We stand here today in a society that is increasingly hostile to the message of Jesus. It is a world that fails to value the dignity and sacredness of human life. It is a world that treats fertility as a curse and pregnancy as a disease rather than as a participation in God’s creative power.  It is a world that ingratiates the powerful and enriches the wealthy and that tells the poor that their lack of resources is their own fault. It is a world that ridicules and persecutes those who follow Jesus.

It is to this world torn by selfishness, hatred and ignorance that we are called to bring Jesus’ message. Like Jesus, we do not change the world through military power or political influence. We do it with the witness of our lives, by acting as He did. We do it through marriages that are truly loving. We do it by sacrificing our pleasures to feed the poor and help those in need. Very often, it means putting up with insults and ridicule because we do not share the values of our classmates or coworkers. Only by forgiving those who injure us and blessing those who curse us as Jesus did can we convince others about the sacredness of every human life and the love of God.

It is not easy. We cannot do it without God’s help. So I would encourage all of you to make the effort this week to attend all the Holy Week services for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil. As we recall all that Jesus did to save us we will be strengthened to not only change the way we live but to proclaim to others that we are truly free only through the love of God. Then Jesus the King and Messiah will be welcome in our world once again.

Holy Week Mysteries Of The Rosary

1. The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

Mt 21: 1-10; Lk 19: 29-40; Jn 12: 12-19; Mk 11:1 - 11

2. The Anointing at Bethany

Jn 12: 13-25; Mk 12: 15-18; Mt 21: 12-17; Lk 19:45-38

3. The Cleansing of the Temple

Mk 12: 15-18; Jn 2: 13-25; Mt 21: 12-17; Lk 19: 45-48

4. The Washing of the Feet

Jn 13: 1-17

5. Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer

Jn 17: 1-26

Serenity In God's Will

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

The Serenity Prayer is the best known and well loved of all prayers outside of the Bible. In just a few phrases, it captures our daily struggle to decide which battles to fight and which to retreat from; which problems to face head on and which to leave alone. This prayer comforts us because it recognizes that it is never easy for us to know when to take matters into our own hands and when to let nature take its course. Most especially, it reminds us to ask for God’s help in these situations and allow Him to give us the wisdom we need “to know the difference.”

This beautiful prayer was written by the  Protestant theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr, as part of a sermon he gave in 1937. At the time, the Nazis were in power in Germany. Many of his friends were working actively against Hitler’s regime, and  he wondered if he should be doing more. At the same time, he felt powerless in the face of so much evil. He wrote the Serenity Prayer to show that, when faced with the mystery of suffering and evil, we can always bring it to God and commit ourselves to accepting and doing His will with the power He gives us.

Accepting God’s will is not always easy. We are afraid of suffering and sacrifice. We do not always trust that God has our best interests in mind. We worry about losing friendships, social status or possessions if we give ourselves completely to Him. In hopes that God will somehow change His mind, we struggle against Him, get angry and sometimes fall into despair until we learn to accept the suffering, difficulties and problems life has dealt us. There is no serenity in our hearts until we learn that God’s will is one of those things we cannot change.

However, we can take comfort in the fact that we are not alone. Even Jesus struggled to accept God’s will. We hear in today’s second reading from the letter to the Hebrews that Jesus “offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears....” This is a reference to the Agony in the Garden when Jesus asked His Heavenly Father to change His mind so that He would not have to go through the tortures of crucifixion and death. Over and over again, Jesus prayed, “Not my will but yours be done,” until He was able to accept God’s plan.

Jesus’ generosity in accepting God’s will made all the difference. The letter to the Hebrews goes on to tell us that because of what He suffered Jesus “became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him.” In today’s reading from the Gospel of Saint John, Jesus goes on to say about His crucifixion, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” There was a purpose to what God willed for Jesus. At the time, it was not clear to those who followed Him much less to those who put Him to death. However, because of what Jesus suffered, we have the forgiveness of our sins and the promise of everlasting life. Because Jesus accepted God’s will, as difficult as it was, everything has changed.

We must struggle against evil. We must fight injustice. When we are sick, we must look for a cure. When we see people suffering, we must try to comfort them. However, there comes a point when there is no more that we can do. There comes a time when we realize that we are powerless to change things. All that is left for us to do is accept what we cannot change.

If we are to experience true serenity, however, it is important for us to realize that “accepting what we cannot change” is not the same as doing nothing. It does not mean giving up, surrendering or running away. Much less does it mean tolerating evil. “Accepting what we cannot change” means recognizing our powerlessness and giving everything over to the One who is All-Powerful and capable of changing all things. It means trusting that God has a plan and that, in some mysterious way, He will bring good through our suffering just as He brought salvation through the death of Jesus. It means standing tall and living with purpose even when nothing around us is making any sense.

When faced with evil, many lose faith in God. They ask how a God who claims to love them can allow them or their loved ones to suffer so much. If we are honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that there have been times when we have felt the same way. However, what good does losing faith in God accomplish? It does not make the evil and suffering go away. All it does is take away our hope which makes the pain even harder to bear. In the end, all it does is add to our suffering.  On the other hand, when we hold onto our faith in God, when we commit ourselves to accepting His will for us, we find hope, courage and, ultimately, peace.

The Serenity Prayer that we know is only a few phrases long. However, there is a longer version which expresses even more fully how accepting God’s will is the secret to lasting peace. Let it be our prayer as we strive to pray along with Jesus, “Not my will but yours be done.”

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen.

Spiritual AND Religious

It is common nowadays for people to describe themselves as "spiritual and not religious." We all have friends who say that about themselves or have seen the phrase written on bumper stickers. Some of us here today might even describe ourselves that way.

But what do people mean when they claim to be "spiritual but not religious"?

Generally, they mean that they have a relationship with God or with a "higher power" without belonging to a church or adhering to any dogmas or creeds. In fact, they claim to have respect for all religions, picking and choosing from each the teachings that suit their lifestyle and the  "god of their understanding". For such people, religion is not a shared, communal reality, but a personal, interior experience.

As with all fallacies, there is a kernel of truth in what these self-described spiritual people believe. Religion is primarily a matter of the heart and of the spirit. Because each of us is created in God's image and likeness, we all carry within ourselves the ability to hear his voice speaking to us through our conscience. Our hearts were made to love God above all things. When we look within, we already find a basic understanding of God and his plan for our lives. God created us to be spiritual.  

We hear this reality described in today's first reading. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God promises the people of Israel that he is about to establish a new covenant with them. That is, he is about to invite them into a new relationship of faithful love with him. Unlike the old covenant which was written on the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments,  the new covenant will be written on their hearts. As Jeremiah describes it, no one will need to be taught the ways of the Lord because God will reveal himself to the heart of each believer. This is what we commonly mean by the word "spiritual" - to have an interior, heart-felt love of God.

However, God is talking about something more than a natural desire or ability to know him. Rather, this personal relationship with him is a gift. It is not something that is ours through birth, but through baptism. God's Spirit who writes this new covenant in our heart, who speaks to our spirit about the ways of truth and love, is given to us through baptism and faith. The Holy Spirit is not something we can receive just through personal reflection or meditation. We receive the Holy Spirit when we become members of a community of faith. We receive the Holy Spirit by practicing religion.

Jesus gives us more insight into what it means to be genuinely spiritual in today's gospel. Andrew and Philip approach Jesus to tell him about some Greeks who want to meet him. It is the week of Passover, close to the time when he would suffer and die. His upcoming death is weighing heavily on his heart. His "hour" is approaching, and he takes the opportunity to instruct the disciples and us about what it means to be a true follower. It means having our hearts set on eternal life. And the only way to enter into that heavenly life is to hate our earthly life. The only way to reach the glory of heaven is through death. Jesus say, "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit." And so the person who loves Jesus is willing to follow him when it is inconvenient, when it is painful and when it is costly. The truly spiritual person who has his or her heart set on the things of heaven will follow Jesus even to the cross. The person with genuine insight into spiritual matters realizes that Jesus cannot be separated from his cross nor can eternal life be separated from death to self.

The words of Jesus are very different from the language we hear from the "spiritual but not religious" crowd. For them, being spiritual is not a way of dying to self but of enriching oneself. It is not a way of glorifying God but of growing in self-esteem and self-fulfillment. It is not a way of seeking the things of heaven but of having a better life on earth. It is not about knowing God as he has revealed himself in Scripture and in Church teaching so that we can humbly serve others but about having secret knowledge that gives one a sense of superiority over others. This so-called "New Age" spirituality is really something very old - trying to achieve the glory of heaven without the shame of the cross.

We shouldn't judge such people. Very often, they are well-meaning and generous. At the same time, we don't want to fall into their error and miss out on the abundance of life that Jesus is offering us. His words are clear to all those who seek him: "If anyone would follow me, he must take up his cross." The deepest desire of our heart is union with God through Jesus. It is natural that we fear being ridiculed by others for practising our religion in a whole-hearted way. It is also natural that we fear what we would have to give up to follow Jesus. But as the Holy Spirit reveals to our hearts more and more the love of God and the truth of the gospel, those fears diminish because we are beginning to taste what our spirits long for and  everything else seems less important by comparison. When we have the real thing, we will not settle for cheap imitations!

We are here today because we are both spiritual and religious. We do not want to deny ourselves the experience of worship with other believers. We want to learn from the words of Scripture and the teaching of the Church. We want to benefit from the wisdom of the believers who have gone before us. We want to encounter Jesus in the Eucharist. This abundance of spiritual riches is ours through baptism and faith. It is a taste of heaven given to us who have decided to pick up our cross and follow Jesus.  

Prayer To Saint Joseph

Oh, Saint Joseph, we venerate you

As a model of workers and patron of families

We acknowledge you as a friend to the poor

Consoler of the afflicted and exiled

The saint of divine providence on earth

You represented the universal goodness of the Heavenly Father

Intercede for us, Saint Joseph, patron of families

Assist us through your prayers

To grow stronger in our love for one another

And to become more pleasing to God

Jesus and Mary were entrusted to your care

Grant us what we truly need

To be always faithful to one another

And servants of each other's needs. Amen

It All Begins With Love

It all begins with love.

Out of love, God created the universe with all its wonders. He wanted to give us a world which would provide for all our needs. Reflecting on the vast oceans, the towering mountains and the lush rainforests, we glimpse the power and goodness of our Heavenly Father. The shear diversity of life on our planet is a reflection of the beautiful imagination of our God.

Out of love, God created each one of us. No matter what the circumstances of our birth or our family, we were all meant by God to exist. Our soul was created directly by our Heavenly Father at the time of our conception. At that moment, He knew us, loved us and gave us a purpose which only we could fulfill. No one of us is an accident. No one of us was not meant to be here. Rather, we were created to experience God’s love in this life and to enjoy eternal life with Him in heaven. As Saint Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians, “For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.”

Out of love, God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. Because of our sins, we had rejected His offer of love. As we hear in today’s first reading from the Second Book of Chronicles, “the people added infidelity to infidelity.” God sent His prophets to call the people back to Him but, as we also hear in the first reading, “...they mocked the messengers of God, despised his warnings and scoffed at his prophets.” In one last effort to reach us, God sent Jesus. His death paid the debt we owed because of our sinful behavior and made it possible that, with a clean slate, we could experience salvation and eternal life. Saint Paul tells us in the second reading, “God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ.”

Salvation and eternal life are God’s gifts to us in Christ. No one of us deserves it. It is not a reward for the good we have done. It is not a result of our sincere intentions. Rather, it is simply God’s free choice motivated by His great love. As Saint Paul goes on to tell us in today’s second reading, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast.”

The great love God has shown us in giving us this vast and beautiful world, in creating us and in saving us through Jesus Christ requires a response from us. How are we to reply to our Heavenly Father’s invitation? The proper response is faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that “Faith is man’s response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man...” [26]. Jesus tells us in today’s gospel that He came so that “everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

Responding with faith means believing that God loves us. It requires accepting the forgiveness of sins and gift of salvation that is ours through Jesus Christ.  When we have faith, we make the hope of eternal life the driving force of our lives here on earth.

Like salvation, faith is a pure gift of God. It was first given to us in baptism and its roots ran deeper in us through the other sacraments we received. Like other virtues, the more we put it to use by praying, struggling against temptation, studying and doing good, the stronger it becomes. If our faith seems weak or even if we think we have no faith, all we need to do is ask God and He will give it to us. He will be happy to give it to us because His great desire is that we enjoy all the gifts He has for us. Also, if we desire faith, it is because God’s Holy Spirit is already preparing our hearts to receive it.

As a response to God’s love, faith is more than saying, “I believe”. Imagine professing your undying love to the man or woman of your dreams and having him or her say in return, “I believe you love me.” Wouldn’t that break your heart? What you want to hear instead is, “I love you too.” And that is exactly what God wants to hear, not only that we believe in Him but that we love Him in return.

The fact is, if we do not love God in return, then we do not really believe. If we do not want  to learn more about Jesus through reading the Scriptures, then we do not really have faith in Him as the Son of God. If we do not desire to receive Him in the Eucharist, then we do not really believe He came down from heaven. If we do not love our neighbor as ourselves, then we do not really believe that all of us are made in His image and likeness. Love is faith translated into action.

Like faith, love is a gift of God. If it seems as though our hearts have grown cold, all we need to do is ask our Heavenly Father to rekindle the fire of love within us. We were created to love. In love we find our deepest meaning and fulfillment. Because He loves us, God wants nothing more than to set our hearts ablaze with charity. And, if we desire it, it is already God’s Holy Spirit preparing our hearts to receive it.

The good news is that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” The question is, do you believe? And, do you live out your belief by loving others? If so, we are already experiencing eternal life. If not, all we need to do is ask God for it.

It all begins and ends with love.

Faith That Saves

The great Christian writer C. S. Lewis is one of the most influential believers of the last century. His many books including Mere Christianity, The Problem of Pain and The Abolition of Man, have helped millions of Christians to understand their faith better in the light of modern challenges.

Because of the wide influence he has enjoyed it can be difficult for us to believe that at one time he was an atheist. Though he was raised as a Christian in the Anglican Communion, he abandoned it during his years as a university student and then as a professor. As happens to so many people, once he became successful he forgot how much he needed God.

Then, one day, he was speaking with a colleague, a history professor whom he admired a great deal,  about the New Testament. His friend shocked him by saying, “You know, it looks as though all the events detailed in the New Testament really happened.” Up to that time, C. S. Lewis considered it all to be a myth like those of the ancient Greeks and Romans. But now he was hearing a highly educated and learned man claiming that it all really happened.

As Lewis thought about what his colleague had said, a question kept coming to his mind. Is Jesus really who He claimed He was? Is He really the Son of God? If He is not the Son of God then He must be a liar or He must be delusional like those with mental illness who say they are Napoleon. But if He really is who He says He is, if He really is the Son of God, then He must be listened to and obeyed. If He really is the Messiah, then one must drop everything to follow Him. And it was right there and then that C. S. Lewis became a believer in Jesus and dedicated His life to helping others come to believe in the Son of God.

That is the question that God poses to all of us here today. Do we believe that Jesus is the Son of God come down from heaven to save the world? Do we believe He is who He says He is?

If we do not believe - if we claim that Jesus was a liar or a lunatic - then coming to Mass is a big waste of time. But if we do believe - if we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior of the World - then coming to Mass is not enough. We have to drop everything and follow Him. We have to learn about every word He spoke because it is the very word of God which teaches us how to live in a way that pleases Him. We have to strive to live according to His word in everything we do. If Jesus is who He says He is, we have to dedicate our whole lives to serving Him.

When we come to understand who Jesus is and when we decide to give our lives over to Him, we call it receiving the gift of faith. Faith as we understand it, is more than a simple belief that God exists. Many people say they believe in God, but few of them live according to His word and the teaching of His Church. Merely believing that God exists cannot save us. As Saint James tells us, even the demons believe that God exists. Rather the faith that saves us is believing that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died to free us from our sins, that He rose from the dead to give us the promise of everlasting life and that He established the Church to pass on this good news of salvation.

How do we know if we have such faith? The only way to really know is to take a hard look at or lives and ask ourselves if what we believe is having an impact in the choices we make and the way we act. The faith that saves us is one that makes a real difference in our lives causing us not only to think differently but to act differently. We will have a commitment to prayer and to receiving the Sacraments. We will have a heart that is sensitive to the needs of the people around us. If we truly believe in Jesus, our lives should be markedly different from that of those who do not believe.

If after examining ourselves it is clear to us that we do not have enough faith - and who of us hear can really say that we do? - we need not be alarmed. Saint Paul teaches us in today’s second reading that faith, first and foremost, is a gift. It is not something we earn. It is not something we have a right to. It is freely given by God. And what is the best way to receive a gift? Simply by asking for it. To receive the gift of faith, all we have to do is ask for it and wait for God to grant it to us. Because He loves us and wants to save us, He will not deny it to us.

We are gathered here today because we have come to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. We have given our lives to him and wish to receive the power to live in the Spirit of His resurrection. We will stand now to profess our faith in One God, in Jesus Christ His Only Son our Lord, and in the Holy Spirit who is Lord and Giver of Life. Let us ask our Heavenly Father that our profession of faith not be empty words we recite but a way of life we commit to with all our hearts, minds, soul and strength proclaiming to all the world with our deeds that Jesus is the Son of God.

Drawing Closer To Jesus

         

There is no doubt that Jesus made an impression on everyone he met. Because of the power of his words, some left their jobs and their families to follow him. Others, however, were offended by the special relationship he claimed to have with the Father and turned their backs on him refusing to listen despite the powerful signs he performed. Others were afraid of him. They feared that he would incite the people to rebel against the Roman occupation and create instability in Jerusalem. We will hear in the upcoming weeks how these people would eventually convince the Romans to crucify him.  

There is another class of people, however. There were those who didn't know quite what to make of Jesus. They were moved by the beauty and power of his words. They were amazed by the miracles and signs he performed. Yet they were just not ready to follow him. Such a person was Nicodemus whom we read about in today's gospel.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a man with much power and influence. He considered himself an authority on the Jewish Law and a teacher of the people. Like the other Pharisees, he would have felt some responsibility to guard the people from error. And so he would have been especially cautious of Jesus. Nonetheless, he felt drawn by his words. So he visits Jesus at night in secret to see for himself what he is all about.  He is not ready to become a follower, but he is not ready to turn his back on him either.

Jesus welcomes Nicodemus. He does not turn him away because he is skeptical and unsure. He does not tell him to come back when he has more faith. Rather Jesus builds on the faith he already has and challenges him to recognize the gift of salvation and eternal life which he is being offered.

There are two parts to Jesus' message to Nicodemus.

First, he speaks to him about the great love of God. Jesus was sent into the world by the Father, not to condemn it, but to bring eternal life to all those who would believe in him. God's desire is not to find fault with us but to draw us into a relationship of love with him. For this reason, Jesus would be lifted up on the cross as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert to bring forgiveness and healing.

Second, that gift of eternal life is available to anyone who believes in Jesus. Those who believe are the ones who are willing to step out of the darkness of sin and falsehood and into the light of faith. Remember that Nicodemus is visiting Jesus at night, when it's dark, so that no one will see him. Jesus is challenging him to step into the light and not be ashamed to be counted as one of his followers. It will mean leaving behind the prestige and power he has as a leading Pharisee. It will mean being rejected and ridiculed by many of his friends. But, more importantly, if he can find the courage to step into the light, it will mean being a friend with Jesus, seeing his great works, and knowing the Father's love in a way he could not otherwise imagine.

The gospel reading does not tell us how Nicodemus responded. We presume that he slipped away into the night to ponder Jesus' message to him. We won't hear about him again until later in John's gospel when he argues for a fair trial for Jesus and at the crucifixion when he, along with Joseph of Arimathea, helps to place his body in the tomb.

There is a little bit of Nicodemus in each of us. Most of us have an admiration for Jesus and are moved by his words. Yet there is still a part of us that wants to hold back. We are not ready to follow Jesus all the way. We fear what others will say about us if we live our faith wholeheartedly. Or we aren't ready to give up some sinful behaviors to embrace the full message of the gospel. Others of us can't get over the shame we feel about our past life and aren't ready to welcome the Father's promise and gift of forgiveness. Each of us, in some way, prefers to meet Jesus in the dark where our ugly faults and failures can be hidden from sight.

  

These forty days of Lent are all about stepping out of darkness into light. Through prayer and penance, we are to examine our conscience and bring to God our weakness and sin so that his forgiveness and grace can begin to fill up the emptiness of our spirit. There is still time for those of us who haven't yet gone to confession to do so before Holy Week. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is an important first step away from the darkness. We reveal our sins to a priest so that we can be freed from the burden of shame and embrace God's love and forgiveness. Then we can begin to live again in the joy and peace of God's Spirit.

In today's second reading, Saint Paul reminds us that God is rich in mercy. We need not linger in the shadows of fear and shame because there is a forgiving God who waits for us in the light. It was for this reason that Jesus came - to draw all people to himself. At this Eucharist, Jesus will be lifted up in the form of bread and wine for us to adore and to receive with gratitude and faith. The prayer, "My Lord and my God," will come to our lips as we gaze upon our Savior who is given to us as food. Let us ask that he ignite a fire within us so that we can take the light of his truth and love to those who continue to dwell in darkness. Then we will become what he has called us to be - a light for all the world. 

God's Law...Our Peace

God always gives His People what they need to know His will and to do it.

When He lead the Israelites out of Egypt and through the desert to the land He had promised them, He gave them a law which would guide their actions as a nation. This law would teach them how to live as His People so that they would be a shining light of goodness to other nations.

At the heart of this law is the Ten Commandments which we heard proclaimed in today’s first reading. And although they were first proclaimed to the people of Israel some five thousand years ago, they remain relevant to our society today if we want to be a people who do God’s will and live in peace with one another.

Down the ages, rabbis have taught us that the Ten Commandments have two tablets. The first tablet contains the first three commandments which have to do with our relationship to God. We are to serve no other gods than He, we are not to take His name in vain and we are to keep holy the Sabbath day. The second tablet contains the final seven commandments regulating our relationship with our neighbors. We are to respect their right to life, the sanctity of their marriages and families and, finally, their property.

The Ten Commandments teach us that the first step to leading an upright life and to building a just society is to fulfill our duty to God. When we put God first, everything else falls into place. If we acknowledge God as creator, then we will respect our neighbors because they are made in His image and likeness. We will also respect creation because it is His gift to us. Fulfilling our duty to God, then, is the foundation of any good society.

To fulfill our duty to God, then, we have to get rid of false idols as we are instructed to do by the first commandment: “I, the Lord am your God....You shall not have other gods beside me.” In Moses time, this commandment meant not worshiping the idols of the Egyptian and Canaanite peoples. The false gods of our times, however, are not as obvious as the carved idols of pagan cultures. Rather, they appear to us in hidden forms.

There are many examples of false gods in today’s world. However, one of the most powerful idols is money. Most crimes have money as the principal motivation. How many families are torn apart because of issues related to inheritances and finances? Making a god of money leads to corruption in government and injustice in the workplace. When money takes the place of God in society it leads to unjust distribution of wealth, poverty and, ultimately, social unrest. No matter how many regulations and laws we put in place to stop the corruption, those who serve wealth as their god always find ways around them. The injustice will continue until we put God at the center of our life as individuals and as a nation.

The second tablet of the Ten Commandments deals with our responsibilities to our neighbor. It begins with the fourth commandment: “Honor your father and your mother that you may have a long life in the land.” God makes it clear that the secret to a good life in the land He had promised them begins with the family. Marriage is to have pride of place and to be respected in the order that God established. It is the only institution that can unite children with the father and mother who brought them into the world by their love. In the family, children learn the meaning of respect, hard work and sacrifice for others.

Families are the foundation of a good society. When families are healthy, the community as a whole is healthy. When families are stable, then schools, businesses, churches and governments are also stable. Good families create good citizens.

We live in a world in which family life is under extreme pressure resulting in negative consequences throughout our society. At this point, the problem may seem too massive for any one of us to resolve. However, there is something each of us can do. By attending to the needs of our own families, we can strengthen society as a whole. That means being the best father and husband or wife and mother you can be. It means loving your children and nurturing them to the best of your ability. It means being a good and obedient son or daughter. Those small daily efforts to strengthen our families will have positive ripple effects throughout the society as a whole.

In today’s world, many families are experiencing pain and difficulty. If our family has been torn apart by divorce,  neglect or even abuse, it is not too late to repair the damage. The first step is to reach out to those members of our family we have not seen in years to ask forgiveness of those we have hurt and to forgive those who have hurt us. It can be awkward and painful. We may be afraid how they might react to us after so many years. However, making a connection, letting them know that we care, leads to healing. Our family may never be as close as it once was but it can be better than it is now. Most of the time it only takes one person to overcome his or her pride and to take the first step.

God wants us to live in peace with one another. He wants all of us to enjoy the natural resources of the world He created. The first step to lasting peace and justice in our world is to acknowledge Him alone as God and to refuse to put money, power or pleasure in His place. The second step is to protect and strengthen marriage and family life. These Ten Commandments, though carved in stone, still have relevance in today’s digital world because God’s word never passes away. If we put that word into practice, we will begin to see a world filled with justice, peace and goodwill.

Cleansing Injustice

Because Jesus is a human being as we are, we can expect to see the full range of human emotions in Him. When His friend Lazarus dies, we see Him weep. As He is about to be arrested in the garden, we see Him torn by anxiety. We see Him experience disappointment as He is betrayed by Judas and denied by Peter. We also see Him rejoice when people come to believe in Him.

And we see Him get angry.

Today’s gospel is one of the most perplexing in all of Scripture. It goes against our image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. We cannot understand how this gentle and humble man could fly into such a rage. How could Jesus who was perfectly sinless, act in such a seemingly violent manner?

A little information about the customs of the time might help us to understand better what made Jesus react as He did.

The Temple in Jerusalem was the center of all Jewish worship in Jesus’ day. It was there that the people offered sacrifices to thank God for some blessed event such as the birth of a child or a fruitful harvest. It was also where they went to ask for forgiveness of their sins. The animals used in those sacrifices were sheep, oxen and doves. Because many of the pilgrims to the Temple were traveling long distances, it was less expensive to buy the animals in Jerusalem than to have to bring them from their native land. Also the animals had to be perfect with no blemish. Imagine bringing an animal all the way to Jerusalem only to find out that, when it is examined at the Temple, it had an imperfection that would keep it from being used as a sacrifice? By buying the animal at the Temple, the pilgrims could be sure that they were without blemish.

As so frequently happens, those who sold animals at the Temple began to take advantage of the people coming to there by overcharging them. They would also bribe those who would examine the animals to make sure that any sheep, oxen or doves brought in from the outside would be deemed unworthy for the sacrifice. Then they would have to buy them from the Temple at the higher price. The same was true of the money changers who offered less in exchange for foreign coins than banks outside of the Temple.

This situation outraged Jesus. Hardworking people who made the sacrifice to come to Jerusalem for the feast to worship God were being taken advantage of by unscrupulous men. And He would stand for it no longer. He would not allow the poor to be exploited for profit or to be kept from worshipping in the Temple. So He did something about it. He put an end to the unjust situation and He called the authorities to task for their corrupt behaviour.

As we reflect on Jesus’ actions, there is a question which we should be asking ourselves. How do we react when we are faced with injustice? What do we do when our brothers and sisters are being taken advantage of? Do we speak up and try to do something about it? Or do we look the other way glad that it is happening to someone else and not to us?

In today’s world there is plenty of violence and injustice. We need only to look at the poor countries of our planet where millions are undernourished while rich countries spend billions of dollars on weight-loss diets. We need only to look at countries where ruthless dictators imprison and torture those who dare to speak up for human rights while those living in democracies barely show up to vote. In so many countries Christians are forbidden from worshiping in public and often killed during their services while we take our freedom to worship and practice our religion for granted. How has such inequality, injustice and intolerance been able to go on for so long? Simply because good people failed to get angry and speak up.

This is important for us to reflect on as we continue our journey through Lent. It is important for us to make sacrifices and practice self-control. But it is more important to help others, to better the lives of our brothers and sisters and to bring relief to those who suffer. God tells us this through the prophet Isaiah: “This is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly.... Setting free the oppressed.... Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.” Are our Lenten sacrifices making someone's life better or are they just a way for us to say that we met our religious obligation? Are our penances making us more sensitive to the needs of our neighbor or are they filling us with pride? These are very important questions for us to be asking ourselves during these days because Jesus makes it very clear that we will be judged by how we treat the poor who surround us.

It is natural for us when faced with the world’s problems to feel paralyzed. If politicians cannot fix hunger, poverty and war, what can we do? How can we make a difference? The simple answer is that we must start with the people around us. Who could use my help? Is there a sick person I could be visiting, a neighbor who could use a meal or a schoolmate who could use a friend? If we could just slow down, take our minds off our own problems for a minute and look around us, we would see people crying out for help. Whatever little we are able to do, even if it is just offering a prayer for that person, is much better than nothing. And God promises to multiply our efforts through the power of His Spirit making immense blessing come out of our good deeds.

In our world today there is plenty of anger but little action. Jesus has shown us the way and given us the power to transform the world through love. As He offered Himself to be the perfect sacrifice for sins, so let us offer ourselves to one another to relieve the burden of the oppressed and to bring relief to the suffering. That is the Lenten sacrifice that most pleases our Heavenly  Father. That is the true religion Jesus came to reveal. The world is counting on us to bring them nothing less than Jesus. Let us not keep Him to ourselves but share Him freely with a hurting world.

Rebuild My Church

Saint Francis of Assisi is one of the greatest saints who ever lived. When he first started on the path of holiness, he wasn't sure what God wanted from him. One day, he found an old church that had been abandoned and was falling apart. It was called the Church of San Damiano. He poked through the ruins and found half buried in the dirt a beautifully painted cross. He pulled it from the ground, propped it up against some rocks and began meditating on it. As he entered deeper and deeper into prayer, he heard Jesus speak to him from the cross. "Francis", our Lord said, "rebuild my Church which you see has fallen into ruins." Francis assumed that Jesus was speaking about the church of San Damiano. So he began gathering stones to rebuild the abandoned building. Seeing his efforts, others began to join him. However, soon young Francis came to understand that Jesus did not mean that he wanted him to rebuild the church building made of stones but to build up the Church which is the People of God. And so he gathered together the men who had been helping him and started the Franciscan order dedicated to living Jesus' teaching in the fullest way possible in poverty and joyful witness to the good news. Francis learned from his experience that what Jesus wanted from him was not so much to renovate buildings but to renovate minds and hearts through the power of the gospel.

In today's gospel, we see the temple leaders fall under the same misunderstanding that Saint Francis did. When they asked Jesus what right he had to clear the moneychangers from the temple, he responded with something of a riddle: "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days." Like Saint Francis of Assisi, the people thought he was talking about the temple building. But Jesus was talking about his body which will rise from the dead three days after he is crucified. Jesus is the new temple. He is the new lamb of sacrifice. His body is the place we worship and the offering we make to God for our sins. Like Francis, Jesus will rebuild the temple, but not with stones. He will rebuild it with people, the people who believe in him, follow him and live as he lived. We are the new temple.

From ancient times, the Church has been referred to as "the Body of Christ". Saint Paul first raises the idea in his letter to the Romans when he writes, "...in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others" (Rom.12:5). What Saint Paul wants us to understand is that, through our baptism, we become interconnected in a way that we cannot see or sense, but that is nonetheless real. Just as all the body suffers when just one part of the body is hurting, so all God's People scattered throughout the world, in some mysterious way, share in each other's joys, pains, struggles and consolations. Because of this mystical union, I am strengthened by the good works that other Christians perform even if I never actually see them do it. At the same time, I am weakened by the sinfulness of others. Just as Jesus taught and Saint Francis learned, we are each parts of a body, the Body of Christ. And so we belong not only to Christ, but also to each other.  

Each of us is called to help Jesus rebuild the Church which is his body. Like the different parts of the body, all of us will have a different role in the Church's mission of preaching the good news. But one thing is true for each and every one of us no matter what our station in life may be. Each of us is called to build up the Church by living a holy life. If the sacrifices, prayers and good works I perform can strengthen the Church, then I must take every opportunity I can find to do good. In the same way, if my sins weaken and demoralize the body of Christ, then I must avoid sin at all costs.

Today's first reading recounts for us the Ten Commandments. God delivered the Ten Commandments to the people of Israel during their 40 years in the desert. They were meant to guide the people as they established themselves in the promised land. By following God's law, it was to be clear that Israel was different from other nations which worshiped many gods and had immoral customs and practices. Instead, Israel would be God's special people, a holy people. We who are inheritors of the promise made to Israel and who believe in the Messiah are also called to be a holy people by following God's commandments. We are called to be different and to shine forth the light of God's word in a world full of darkness.

We are always talking about what it would take to bring more people to the Church and to get them more excited about their faith. Sometimes we think it will take playing livelier music or preaching more compelling sermons. Some people even think the Church should compromise on some of her teachings to make the Christian life seem less demanding. For all that talk, the one thing that each of us could do to draw more people here every week is to live our faith and to be holy. If we do that, people will sit up and notice. They will see that there is something special going on here because of the holiness of our lives. They will see our peace and joy and want it for themselves. The most riveting sermons and the most uplifting music will not draw a single person here if our lives are not beaming with the holiness that comes from Jesus.

We are approaching the midpoint of our Lenten journey. We can start to feel weary as the weeks drag on. But we can always rely on Jesus for strength. The knowledge that we are connected to him through the mystery of the Church which is his body inspires us to draw inspiration and encouragement from him. And we can be encouraged knowing that our good works are somehow bringing strength to others around the world who need it. We are working together to build up the Body of Christ through the power of the Spirit until that day when we will enter the heavenly temple to live with God forever.