June 15, 2017

                R. Salvation History

                    We are called by God to make
                the unique contribution with our
                lives He wants of us. Jesus came
                and Jesus showed us love and
                sacrifice. What Jesus did made
                the difference for man's salvation.
                Jesus is the way, the truth and
                the life.

                    Jesus came at a particular
                time in salvation history.
                Jesus calls us to do God's will
                in love.

                    Satan is at work all around
                us and we cannot control what
                others do. What brings the greatest
                harmony is if every one is doing
                God's will in love.

                    Why do we act? We need to be
                loving and serving God and following
                His plan.

                    We have to see the big
                picture. We can't live life
                to try to settle down to what is
                comfortable for us. A man must
                be open to allow the plan of
                God to unfold around him.
                If the focus is being in charge
                and a man avoids the structure
                he has a problem.

Galatians 6: 7

... whatever someone sows, that is what he will reap.

                R. We see God's plan in our
                lives and we want to say "yes"
                like Mary – not work against it
                for our plan.

                    Think of Esther – How did she
                even get chosen by the King to
                do what she did, to be in a
                position to do what she was called
                to do.

                    Look at Joseph and what his
                brothers did to him, but somehow
                he was in the position to do
                what he did and he knew the gifts
                God gave him. He loved God. God was
                first to Joseph – God led him through
                a desert life to where he went
                through such suffering and was
                in the position he was in to do what
                God intended him to do.

                    We see Moses was spared and
                the Pharaoh's daughter took him
                in.

                    We had the particular parents God
                gave us and no one had the experiences
                we had. They made us who we are,
                our parents were chosen by God to bring
                us into the world. My children were
                given to us by God. God is working in
                our lives - trying to teach us. He has
                us in a particular setting when we
                are born – we have certain brothers
                and sisters.

                    God is at work in our lives.
                He knows what we are going through
                today – He knows our yesterdays –
                He knows us and loves us. God
                created us beautiful for His purpose.
                We are not alone.

                    We do not even see the place
                God has prepared for us in heaven,
                but we know He is faithful to His promise.
                Fr. Joe in his homilies was talking
                about covenant. A covenant is
                a serious commitment between
                parties. God created us to know,
                love and serve Him and love our
                neighbor as ourselves.

                    God has all the power – we can
                ignore His authority, His laws,
                or we can recognize God's power,
                His authority, His laws and abide
                by them in serving Him in our
                lives.

                    I know God is always with me
                helping me today, if I am tired, if
                I have aches and pains, dealing
                with others who do not obey His
                laws and rebel against Him.

                    Everybody has a free will. The
                mission of the Shepherds of Christ is to
                pray men make Jesus the King of their
                hearts and Mary the Queen of their hearts.

                    We are imperfect, we sin, we
                don't always do everything the
                way Jesus would like – so we
                admit our sins and are sorry –
                sorry for offending God and others and
                we tell God we want to do better
                and pray for the grace to be more
                like Him – more the way the Father
                created us to be. Real sorrow
                for offending God with a firm
                purpose of amendment to sin no
                more.

                    We are yours Lord – It says in
                the Prayer for Union –

                    We want to have our life
                in You.

Prayer for Union with Jesus

Come to me, Lord, and possess my soul. Come into my heart and permeate my soul. Help me to sit in silence with You and let You work in my heart.

    I am Yours to possess. I am Yours to use. I want to be selfless and only exist in You. Help me to spoon out all that is me and be an empty vessel ready to be filled by You. Help me to die to myself and live only for You. Use me as You will. Let me never draw my attention back to myself. I only want to operate as You do, dwelling within me.

    I am Yours, Lord. I want to have my life in You. I want to do the will of the Father. Give me the strength to put aside the world and let You operate my very being. Help me to act as You desire. Strengthen me against the distractions of the devil to take me from Your work.

    When I worry, I have taken my focus off of You and placed it on myself. Help me not to give in to the promptings of others to change what in my heart You are making very clear to me. I worship You, I adore You and I love You. Come and dwell in me now.

-God's Blue Book, January 17, 1994

                R. God put us here in a certain time
                and place and we will leave at
                a certain time and place. God gave
                us talents – He gave us so much
                and we must work with the Plan
                He has for us. He created us uniquely
                for a purpose. We want to seek God's
                Plan and say a whole hearted "yes".
                Satan is there lurking at the door
                trying to get in and get us to listen to him
                while he is trying to lie and deceive us.

                    Satan comes and suggests things
                like he is a friend understanding
                how we are not treated right – how
                we can't do what we want –
                blaming others for why we are
                mad and dark and don't feel good.
                Then he takes over if somebody lets
                them in division, chaos, confusion,
                anger, jealousy, pride, envy –

                    Satan is a liar – Satan is a
                deceiver – Satan wants people
                to work against God, work in
                hate and division – not unity
                and love.

                    I hear the birds singing here –
                so beautiful seeing through the eyes of
                God. God is light and in Him is
                no darkness. Even the birds are part
                of God's plan for us. The sun comes
                up and gives us light and beauty
                and the dark comes so we can
                close our eyes and sleep. God gave
                us eyelids and the dark night.
                God loves us so much.

                    We have so much to learn and
                to take in – in His world. So much
                to comprehend – love doesn't run
                out when our love is rooted in
                Him and we are doing His will.

                    Life can be beautiful even in
                suffering. I remember Fr. Carter going
                out to eat with me on my birthday
                months before he died. He kept
                giving - all the way up into December, 2000
                he was discerning the daily message despite
                how sick he was.

                    He gave to the Shepherds of Christ
                because he knew God called him and he
                wanted it to go on after his death.
                He was selfless.

                    I watch Fr. Joe how he keeps
                giving. He will be 80 in October –
                He could have slowed down long
                ago, but at 77 he was writing the
                homilies we are putting in his
                book and they are so good.

                    God calls us to give in love.
                Love is giving for the good of the
                other. In heaven there is perfect
                love. God has a place for us
                if we live our commitment to
                love and serve Him as we should
                and love our neighbor as ourselves.

A homily out of the new book.

 

4th Sunday of Lent

March 15, 2015  

INTRODUCTION – [2 Chronicles 36, 14-16.19-23; Eph. 2, 4-10; John 3, 14-21] Last Sunday we heard about God’s covenant with his people as they traveled with Moses from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land. God promised his people many blessings and his special love and in return they were to keep his Law, especially the part of the Law we call “The Ten Commandments.” The Jewish historian who wrote the book of Chronicles gives us a summary of over seven centuries of infidelities on the part of God’s people to their covenant. The consequences of their infidelity led to untold disaster for the nation, but God would not let them be totally destroyed. Just to help you visualize this better, the Babylonians who practically destroyed them came out of modern day Iraq. The Persians who restored them to their land came out of Iran. Our psalm refrain is the lament of God’s people as they suffered captivity in Babylon. Next week we will hear Jeremiah promise that God would make a new covenant with his people since the people observed the old one so poorly. We celebrate and renew God's new covenant as always as we celebrate the Eucharist today.  

HOMILY – St. John’s gospel is the only gospel that mentions Nicodemus. We just heard about him today at the beginning of John’s gospel. He was a Pharisee and a Jewish religious leader, which implies he was one of the 71 members of the Sanhedrin, the supreme ruling council of the Jews.  

In the room off the vestibule in the back of church, we have a stained glass window picturing Nicodemus talking with Jesus. That room is usually referred to as the brides’ room, but originally it was the baptistery. It is fitting that the stained glass window in the baptistery should picture Nicodemus because at their first meeting, Jesus told Nicodemus a person cannot enter God’s kingdom unless they are born again of water and the Spirit, which is a reference to baptism.  

Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. Nicodemus was being practical, of course, for the supreme ruling council of the Jews had only hatred for Jesus. Nicodemus may have feared he would lose many of his good friends if he were caught having a normal conversation with Jesus. John’s gospel is also speaking on a symbolic level. In telling us Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, John is telling us Nicodemus was far from having complete faith in Jesus. Since Jesus is the true light who gives light to all people, as John told us earlier in his gospel, Nicodemus hasn’t found that light yet. He’s still in the dark - only searching for the light.  

Today’s gospel is one of the most popular and beloved passages in the entire Bible: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3,15)  

Too many people think that to believe in Jesus, all we have to do is say the words: “I believe in Jesus, or I believe he is the Son of God.” Believing in Jesus is much more than that. To believe in Jesus is to live the way he taught us; i.e., to live in his light. Any other way of living is to live in darkness. To believe in Jesus is to believe he has come down from heaven (Jn. 3,13) so he could teach us about heavenly things. To believe in Jesus is to believe he is our spiritual nourishment. He told us: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven” (Jn. 6, 35. 51); it is to believe that he is the “good shepherd” (Jn 10,11.14); that he is “the resurrection and the life” (Jn. 11,25); that he is the “real vine” and we are branches who draw our life from him (Jn 15,1.5) and that he is “the way, the truth, and the life.” (Jn 14,6) To say I believe in Jesus is basically to turn our life over to God.  

At this point in the gospel Nicodemus is still in the dark unable to grasp the spiritual lessons Jesus is trying to teach him. Nicodemus had a mind and heart that was seeking to know the truth and coming to Jesus was the best place to begin. Later in the gospel of John we hear about Nicodemus again. The supreme council of the Jews is discussing Jesus and Nicodemus argues that Jesus deserves a fair trial before he is condemned. Nicodemus was rebuffed for his remarks. The third time Nicodemus shows up is at Jesus’ burial. He came with 75 or 100 pounds of spices with which Jesus would be embalmed. At this point we see Nicodemus had moved beyond his fear and made a 100% commitment to Jesus, Even though he had watched Jesus die as a condemned criminal, he made this commitment without wavering. That took real faith. He could see in his heart that when Jesus was lifted up on the cross it was really Jesus being lifted up into glory. May our Lenten practices help us to grow in our faith and in our total commitment to Jesus. Amen.