Most of you know that the first reading and the Gospel usually are put together each Sunday intentionally.  The lectionary purposefully links the reading from the Old Testament with the Gospel to highlight that Jesus fulfills all that was said in the Old Testament.  This week that is even more obvious as both the first reading and Gospel encourage us to Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your strength and with all of your soul.  So, a lot of times the second reading is overlooked. With that in mind, I’m preaching on the second reading this weekend.

One of the main focusses of the letter to the Hebrews is that Jesus is the eternal high priest.  There is not a need for another priest.  You may be thinking, “wait a minute Father, aren’t you a priest?!?”  Yes, I am.. but I’m only a priest in the sense that I share in the one priesthood of Christ. I participate in Christ’s priesthood; not a different one.  This is why we say, priests act in persona Christi, in the person of Christ.

To understand the second reading we need to understand who a priest is, especially in the beginning. In the Old Testament priests had two major functions, 1) they were mediators between God and his people, and 2) priests offered sacrifice on behalf of the people to God.  Priests in the Old Testament offered animal sacrifices as atonement, or for the forgiveness of sins of the people (including himself).  This is why Jesus is the one high priest.  There is never a need for any other sacrifice but the one sacrifice of Christ; his death on the cross.  When we come together for the holy sacrifice of the Mass we remember Jesus’ one sacrifice.  He is not re-sacrificed on this altar, rather its as if we are with Christ in that very moment on Calvary where Jesus offered himself in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. Jesus is also the perfect mediator.  He is the God-man, the one who is 100% God and 100% human.  He shares in our humanity to lift us up into the Divine Life of God.  Jesus is the perfect priest; the high priest.

Listen to these words from our second reading again…It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens. He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself.  Jesus is like no other priest before.  He offers the sacrifice, yet he himself is free of the guilt of sin.  But he offered his life as a sacrifice out of love for us. 

So, here’s the question some of you may be asking…. Why did Jesus have to die such a brutal death?  Why did Jesus have to shed his blood? Couldn’t there have been another way to save us?  Why did our salvation have to come at such a violent death for Jesus on the cross? Here’s the simplest answer:  the more someone sacrifices for the sake of another person, the more obvious is his love for the other. 

A powerful example of this today comes from the movie A Quiet Place.  In brief, the plot is about a married couple and their three children trying to survive after aliens invade our planet. The story begins after much of the earth’s human population has been eliminated.  In the beginning, the daughter fails to protect her five-year-old brother and so they lose him.  So, the whole movie is about the guilt the daughter feels and her relationship with her dad.  Whenever she sees her dad, she can only see his grief, and his grief is seen as condemnation.  Carrying this guilt and shame, she believes that her dad doesn’t love her anymore.  Spoiler alert:  it’s the end of the movie, and the daughter is being attacked by the aliens.  The father is desperate to save her. So, the movie shows us that the two, though far apart, are looking at each other.  The Dad signs: I Love You! Then he screams and sacrifices himself for his daughter. Obviously, no father should have to die in order to prove their love for their children. But for this girl, she will never again doubt how much her father truly loved her.

The same is true for us.  Jesus did the same for us.  In order to convince us of his love, of God’s love for all of us, [Jesus] offered himself… once for all when he sacrificed himself in love on the cross.  The question is, now that we know how much he loves us, are we willing to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength?

In Christ’s love and friendship,

Fr. Stephen

Friends the Gospel of Bartimaeus has so many implications for the Christian life.  What made him so unique was that he saw himself rightly and he saw Jesus for who he is.  So he was able to ask wholeheartedly and with pure intentions say: Master I want to see! 

Can we see?  Of course we can see the physical world, but can we see spiritual? I think if we are honest with ourselves we all can have a false sense of security in our own vision. We may be able to see the physical reality of the world, but do we see the world through the lens of faith, through God’s eyes?  “Our problem is that we think we already see… [So], we first need to be healed of the illness of worldly vision.”

We need to be healed of worldly vision… Worldly vision obscures how we see God, other people, and ourselves.  We are invited to pray with Bartimaeus, “Master, I too want to see!” 

How do we see God? Whenever suffering or bad things happen in this world, it can become a moment where we begin to wonder, “God do you really care.”  Unfortunately, these moments can also lead us to doubt God’s existence and God’s love for each of us.  Sometimes, we even blame God for these terrible things.  “God why did you give me cancer?”  “God why did you do this to me?”  Other times, people around us encourage us in this… “Aren’t you upset with God for all of these horrible things he has done to you?”  It’s interesting… Its so easy for us to blame God for our problems, but its so hard for us to thank God for our blessings… This way of looking at God is what needs correction. We need corrected vision. 

But I think we would all admit that it is so inspiring to meet someone who has faith and trust in God in the midst of great suffering? Tyler Trent and Scot Van Pelt (ESPN anchor) had an interview that was inspiring. SVP: Tyler I believe wholeheartedly that you will feel our prayers. God will help you! Tyler Trent, the Purdue super fan who has terminal cancer, is proclaiming the Gospel with his faith and trust in God in the midst of his suffering.  Tyler sees God rightly. Master we want to see…

How do we see others?  There are many examples in which we do not see others rightly.  We can see others as less than us, or as means to an end,  or as an object.  Here’s one example of how we have obstructed vision with others.  Think of the person we just don’t like.  What’s the first thought that comes into our minds? My guess is most of us didnt think, “that person is a beloved son/daughter of God…” Don’t we treat people differently based on who they know?  It happens all the time (and not for the best of reasons).  But I wonder, how different this world would be if we looked at each other and first saw a child of God, and not that person that we dislike so much… Master I want to see…

How do we see ourselves?  This is a big one.  Consider our sinfulness.  So many of us when we ask for God’s mercy we struggle to receive His love?  Why?  Because we don’t see what he sees.  We see our sins, our imperfections, and so we are literally blind to God’s love in our lives.  God how could you love this?!?  And yet, our imperfections and sins can lead us into a deeper appreciation of God’s love.  When we see ourselves rightly, all of our weaknesses, imperfections together with our gifts and strengths, we are able to see that we are lovable.  We are able to see that we are precious in God’s eyes.  Master we  want to see! 

So our prayer this weekend is to share in the the prayer of Bartimaeus the blind man.  Master, I want to see.  Help me to see this world with your eyes.  Master, heal me from worldly vision.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Stephen

This is us!

The story of the rich young man in our Gospel is one that we are familiar, but also one that I think many of us assume isn’t about us… We give this Gospel a special place for religious; those who make vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience.  And so this Gospel seems like it’s for them.  Turn away from the pleasures of this world, for your own will, and from your wealth, and follow God with all your heart… This is a great temptation, to think its only for them, and not for us…

But this Gospel isn’t just for us, it is us. This is us!

The discovery of our own story in this Gospel scene is found in the small details.  A young man ran up… This young man was somebody who loved his faith.  He wanted to go deeper.  He wants to know God more and to love God more.  He wants for all eternity to be with God.  This is us… So many of us are trying to grow in our faith.  We read Christian books, we read scripture, we listen to Christian music or Christian podcasts, all for the same reason.  Because we want to know how to live our life as a Christian… We too want eternal life.  We too run to Jesus and ask just as the young man did, Good Teacher what must I do to gain eternal life? This is us…

Moments later, there is a great change in the young man… Jesus has told him that he must keep the commandments, love God and love neighbor… Now experiencing doubt, anxiety, and fear, he responds, “but teacher I have done what you said, I have kept the commandments…” What more must I really do, I have done all these… We do the same… I go to mass.  I pray.  I try to treat people well.  I struggle with normal human things, but I haven’t done anything that bad. This is us…

Then Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said,  You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor. What follows is the saddest moment in all of the Scriptures… The young looks down becomes sad and walks away.  Jesus has just asked him to get rid of that one thing he loves the most… That one thing that competes with his love for God, that is his love for wealth.  Isn’t this us? 

For all of us, there is something in our lives that we hold on to.  Something that we grasp to!  Something, that we do not want to let go of.  That one thing could be wealth, it could be pleasure, it could be our desire for control over own lives, it could be our desire for honor… for attention… And yet, in order for us to grow closer to our Lord, we have to let go of these things in order to receive eternal friendship with God… We all do this.  We all are the rich young man.  This is us.

The young man looked down and walked away.  He looked down.  He looked down and so he missed that Jesus looked him, loved him, and then challenged him.  He missed Jesus’ love for him as he challenged the young man to purify his love for God.

Friends, we are called to look up.  We are called to look up at Jesus.  Our second reading reminds us that the Word of God penetrates our hearts. The Word of God is how we come into contact, person to person with Jesus Christ.  The Word of God is living and effective.  Jesus is the Word of God.  And to open our ears and our hearts to listen to the Word is like standing before Jesus, naked and exposed.  To stand before Jesus like this is to allow him to see everything that we are.   Jesus sees us and knows us, more intimately, and better than we could ever know ourselves… He knows our heart, he knows what we love the most, and he knows our weaknesses and strengths.  He knows everything.

Friends, we are called to stand before the Lord naked and exposed, vulnerable, letting him see us as we are.  We are called to allow Jesus to point out how our love for him can be purified.  What is holding us back?  For when we do, we will echo these words from our first reading; once I preferred wealth, power, pleasure, and honor to God, but now, I prefer God over power, and [consider] riches nothing in comparison with [my relationship with God].

This Gospel is us.  Jesus looks at you.  Jesus loves you.  And Jesus invites you to let go of “that thing” to fall more in love with him.  This is us.

 

In Christ’s love and Friendship,

Fr. Stephen

I’m sorry. We’re sorry.The Church is sorry.

• I’m sorry to all of the survivors of priest abuse. Friends these are the ones we must pray for right now.  These are the ones we absolutely cannot forget.
• When I’ve read letters from Church officials that beg us to pray for our priests and bishops right now, something doesn’t sit right with me.  It seems to miss the point.  Yes bishops and priests need prayers, but is seems self-centered to focus on church officials when there are so many who have been wounded by clergy who need our prayers.  The survivors need our prayers first.
• I’m proud of Bishop Walkowiak.  In our bulletin this weekend we have included Bishop’s letter to the faithful of Grand Rapids.  He too apologizes and calls for prayers for the survivors.
• “My prayers today are with the survivors of sexual abuse. I am truly sorry for the pain you have endured.” And he concludes, “We pray for the survivors of [those abused by clergy], and [we pray] for their families that their wounds may be healed by our ever-loving God.” 

We’re sorry…

• I’m sorry also to all of those who are family or friends of those who have been abused by clergy. You expected your loved ones to experience the God who loves them in Church, and instead they experienced great evil and abuse.
• And I’m sorry to all of you here tonight.  This is the Church you love. This is your faith.  And I share with all of you the great anger over the abuse, the cover ups, and the betrayal.
• I’m sorry that Fr. Tony and I did not address this last weekend. In all honesty I needed some time.  I was experiencing many different emotions. 
  • I was angry, “How can this happen?”  I thought, “Seriously, we allowed priests to continue in ministry when we knew the types of evil acts they were committing?”
  • I was also filled with shame.  The day that the Grand Jury report came out in Pennsylvania was the first time I did not want to wear my collar.  I was embarrassed. Here were priests, men who are supposed to be vessels of God’s love, healing, and grace, and yet, we discover that there were men who did the opposite.  Priests who wounded, hurt and led people away from God.
  • I also felt helpless.  What could I give all of you?  What can I say that would take away your anger and frustration?

• Finally, I’m sorry that this apology won’t be good enough. Because an apology on its own can’t be good enough. 
  • Responding to the several statements from Bishops, one catholic writer recently wrote, “Unfortunately we have heard the apologies and promises before.  The time for strongly worded statements has passed.  It is time for action. And its time for urgent action!”

So what needs to happen? Well, unfortunately we have had so many examples over the past year to learn from…

• • Last fall, their was the scandal in Hollywood where there was abuse and there were cover ups.
  • Then in the winter there was Larry Nassar and his abuse of young women that was covered up at Michigan State.
  • This summer, Ohio State faced difficulties with Coach Urban Meyer regarding domestic violence regarding one of his coaches.  When did he know? Why didn’t he tell more people?  Why didn’t he help the wife of one of his coaches who lived in fear?
  • Now, today, its our Church.  The abuse of minors and seminarians by Clergy and the cover up in the hierarchy.  Why did this happen?   How could we fail our people like this?
  • Which institution caused the greatest scandal?  Well, its our Church.  The Church is supposed to be a sign of God’s light and love in the world, and so, rightly, the Church is held to a higher standard.
  • It is necessary to bring things to the light.
  • These scandals together have taught us that action is necessary and an external review is also necessary.  Not just to avoid cover ups.  But also to protect our people. 
  • Archbishop Carlson, invited Attorney General Josh Hawley of Missouri to review all handlings of clergy abuse in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
  • I’m also proud of our diocese and Bishop Walkowiak. He explained to us in his letter that there is a review board in charge of handling all issues of clergy abuse.
  • He writes, “Our review board is comprised of two priests and seven lay members, including a retired judge, a retired FBI officer, therapists, and educators.”  He also assured us, this review board and himself, “immediately report these allegations to the proper local authorities and fully cooperate with their investigations.”
  • Whether its inviting the Attorney General, or establishing a review board controlled by laity, these two bishops have begun to act, to protect, and hopefully to end this abuse in our Church. 
  • I don’t know what other actions need to happen.  But I think what all of us can do is pray that the Holy Spirit continues to persuade our bishops to be courageous, to be transparent, and to allow for some form of external review of clergy abuse cases in order to protect our people.

But then there is an important question for all of us here to consider.   Why are you here today? After all of this, why are you still Catholic?

I was listening to an NPR show called 1A.  It was extremely difficult.  The host kept saying, “we want to hear from you Catholics around the country and tell us, why are you still Catholic? Why stay in a church where so much abuse has happened?” Throughout the show, many called, tweeted, or emailed to say they had left the Catholic Church, because they had lost all trust.

So, why stay Catholic? I think this Gospel is exactly what we needed to hear today.  Jesus looks at His Church, and he looks at all of us with a broken heart because of the sins of his ministers.  And in the wake of so many who have left, Jesus says with a heavy heart to each of us, will you leave me too?

Now obviously, when Jesus asks this question it is because of the many disciples who couldn’t accept the teaching on the Eucharist.  People weren’t leaving due to evil acts.  But the question is still relevant.  Will you leave me too?

So friends I invite you to stay. 

It would be easy for me after one year of priesthood to go.  In 2002 I was too young to understand the gravity of the scandal.  But as I grew up, and I began to understand what had happened, I felt called to be a priest to help rebuild trust between the people of God and His Church. 

What inspired me was the priest who stayed.  The good priests who stayed in their vocation.  When the world hated priesthood, they didn’t run.  The good priests stayed. 

It would be easy for us to leave right now. But I’m asking you to stay. This is the place that we experience the God who loves us, the God who heals us, the God who saves us.  And you should expect the best of your priests.  But you are not Catholic, you are not here because of me or Fr. Tony.  You are because of one man.  We are here because of one man, and that man is Jesus Christ.

So dear friends, I invite you to stay despite the failing of his ministers.

I invite you to stay and pray that Christ the divine physician will bring healing to the survivors. Especially right now in their time of need. 

Stay and pray for our leadership, that they may be compelled by the holy spirit and protect God’s people.

I invite you to stay.  Thats my plea tonight. Many of us turn to the Church when we need hope and healing in our lives.  Right now, the Church is vulnerable and needs this from you.  Stay and, with God’s grace, help the Church heal.

My hope and prayer for all of us here is that we will stay.  In a moment I will sit down and allow each of us to have a moment silence for prayer.  Jesus looks at each of us with a broken heart, for many have left due to horrible and evil actions of others, and he asks, “will you leave me to?”

My hope and prayer is that each of us will stay and answer like Peter and Joshua:  Lord to whom else shall we go? You have the words of Eternal Life.  As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!

In Christ’s Love and Friendship,

Fr. Stephen

Do we believe that God gives us what we need? The Israelites in our first reading from Exodus are wandering the desert.  They are in the desert because they have had something amazing happen to them – they have been freed from slavery.  And yet, as they wander in the desert, they begin to doubt God, doubt whether or not God is still with them, and even wish they were back in Egypt as slaves! So, God, as a sign of his love and fidelity gives them their fill of bread to eat.  He provides for them in a time of need.

The people are following Jesus, but they lost track of him. So they go to another part of the sea.  When they arrive, they find Jesus already at the town and he confronts them saying, Amen, Amen,  I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.  In other words, they seem to be looking for Jesus only because he provided them all with food – he provided for them what they needed.  But Jesus tells them, that the miracle of loaves and the fish was performed so that they would seek food that endures for eternal life.  But instead, they misunderstood and kept seeking food that perishes. But Jesus wanted to give them something more.  Jesus wanted to give them what they truly needed.  He wants to give them food that endures.

The Lord gives us what we need.  That is the good news we receive this weekend. And it’s the best news.  The Israelites in the desert were complaining and doubting God.  And he gives them bread to remind them that he will give them what they need.  The people seeking Jesus in our Gospel, doubt who Jesus really is.  They see his signs but they don’t understand. They ask for a greater sign.  He answers and they don’t realize that his answer truly is the greatest sign he could give. I am the Bread of life, says Jesus, your ancestors ate bread from heaven, but I am the bread of life that comes down from heaven to give you life. Jesus is making an identity claim here.  I am the one who comes from God.  I am one of divine origin.  I have been sent by the Father to give you life. 

So what do you need?  The Eucharist provides for all our needs. Are you seeking help in an addiction or a struggle with sin?  The Eucharist is your answer.  It is the spiritual medicine that Christ gives to help us overcome our weaknesses. Are you seeking deeper friendship and communion with Christ?  The Eucharist and the living Word of God will give that to you.  Are you seeking real friendship and a sense of belonging in a Christian community?  The Eucharist gives that to you as well.  It is the bond of fellowship.  The Eucharist is what brings each of us here together as God’s family.  My friends, I cannot stress this point enough.  Coming together around this Eucharistic table brings us closer to our Lord and closer to each other.  It is the sign of God’s love for us and our shared love for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.  Coming together and sharing the Eucharist, we become icons of God’s goodness to each other. If we see God working in the lives of others here, we become encouraged in our own spiritual lives.  Do you desire to love as Christ loves?  The Eucharist expands your heart and helps you grow in charity.  Do you simply just want to give Jesus thanks for the blessings God has given you.  Well, my friends, that’s the meaning of gathering around the Eucharistic table – the place where we give thanks!

May the Eucharist we receive today help us to open our hearts to receive from God what each of us truly needs. 

In Christ’s love and friendship,

Fr. Stephen

We are in the opening scenes of John 6, and just like where we left off in Mark, the crowds have followed Jesus and gathered around him. Jesus wants to take care of the crowds and give them life. And Jesus responds to their need for food by feeding them through the loaves and the fish.  Over these next five weeks, we will hear the entire chapter of John 6, more commonly known as the Bread of Life discourse where he will teach and proclaim that He is the Bread of Life. 

Friends, the Church is zoning in on this one chapter to remind us that Jesus continues to feed the crowds today through the context of the Mass.  As the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ Himself spiritually feeds us in the Eucharist!  John says that Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining… When we hear this our minds immediately think of the Eucharist since we hear at every Mass, “he took the bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them saying”. If we need any further proof that John is talking about the Eucharist consider these words in light of the other Gospels at the Last Supper:

1. 1. While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, ‘Take and eat; this is my body’ (Matthew 26:26).
   2. While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body’ (Mark 14:22).
   3. Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me (Luke 22:19).

Every early Christian would have made the connection between these last supper narratives and the words John used in the story of Christ feeding the five thousand.  It is undeniable, we are talking about the Eucharist.

If John is talking about the Eucharist and that is our focus in general for these next five weeks, then what is our particular focus for this weekend?  I believe the answer to that is the offertory.  Have you ever wondered why we both collect money at this point and have a family/or people of the community bring up the bread and wine?  This is not a stage production. This is not just something done to pass the time. 

Listen to these words from the instructions on the celebration of the Mass: At the time of the offertory, “the offerings are then brought forward. It is a praiseworthy practice for the bread and wine to be presented by the faithful. They are then accepted at an appropriate place by the Priest or the Deacon to be carried to the altar. Even though the faithful no longer bring from their own possessions the bread and wine intended for the liturgy as was once the case, nevertheless the rite of carrying up the offerings still keeps its spiritual efficacy and significance.”

Carrying up the offerings still keeps its spiritual efficacy and significance…(brief pause).  The purpose of the offertory is our time to intentionally give God thanks for the gifts he has given us. Its where we offer back the fruit of our labor to God. Further, it is where we, in faith, place our trust in God that He can take the little we have to offer and do something extraordinary! 

Okay, so by now you all must be thinking… “why is there a fridge next to Fr. Stephen?”  Well, I thought it might be fun to playfully consider what the priests could offer God this weekend… So let’s look inside. (have Danny go to the fridge and pull out each item one by one). 

Fr. Stephen: “Danny what’s the first thing you got.” 

Danny: “Skittles padre…”

Fr. Stephen:  “Oh no, we can’t give the skittles, those are my favorite… look for something else man.”

Danny:  “Alright.. well we have my espresso…you’re not going to make me give this away, are you???”

Fr. Stephen:  “Dude man, I don’t want to see what you become without your coffee. I’ll save you, we won’t give that away either. What else is in there?”

Danny: “we got Fr. Ton’s Fritos?”

Fr. Stephen: “Haha, lets not upset the pastor.  He likes those man.  Let’s save that for him.”

Danny: “We go some of Deacon Jim’s favorite potato chips!”

Fr. Stephen: No, let’s be good to the Deacon man, anything else in there?

Danny: “Aha!  I found a winner man!  Look at this we got ‘Leftovers’”!

Fr. Stephen: “Absolutely man! Boom! Winner! We’ll give the leftovers to God this weekend…Well done!” (Danny goes back to his seat).

All kidding aside, I believe God is inviting us to consider “What holds you and I back from giving to God and His Church?” Our readings name different destructive mentalities we can hold on to that can discourage us in our giving.

The first is this leftover mentality.  It is something we can all struggle with; including me.  When we are confronted with giving, most times we only do it at the end.  We look for what is left over. But this is contrary to what happens in our first reading.  We heard about a man who came to the Prophet Elisha offering twenty loaves of bread; which were from the firstfruits! One of the greatest roadblocks to our own personal giving is waiting to give that which is leftover.  If we do this, then we run the risk of running out and not having anything left to give God. 

But our Gospel also illustrates ways we can become discouraged in our giving.   The first comes from Philip.  Jesus asks where can we get enough food for the crowds and Philip responds despairingly, Lord, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little!” Friends, we know this way of thinking all too well.  All we have to do is think about our pending capital campaign. In all honesty,  I know that there have been times Fr. Tony, or myself, or anyone among you has thought, “6.2 million!  Really?  Even if we raised 2 million we only have enough to accomplish a little.” We see the need, but then we see the costs and we can become discouraged.  Just as Philip saw the need.  He saw the crowds.  He saw and agreed with Jesus; that they needed food, but Philip allowed himself to be discouraged, “Lord even if we had two hundred days wages, we still couldn’t provide for them.”  Because we are overwhelmed with how much we need, we tend to hold back because we think the amount, like Philip, is unattainable.

But the discouragement doesn’t end there.  Then we hear from Andrew. Andrew points to the boy and says, here is a young boy who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?” Andrew also is discouraged but instead, because the gift is so small.  Lord, how can we provide for five thousand with only five loaves and two fish!?!  What does this mentality look like in our parish?  It looks something like this: “You know, I don’t make that much money… and what I have to give is not very much at all.  So, how could my gift do anything? What could my small gift really do for the parish?”

And finally, the last destructive mentality…. Thanks be to God, the boy offered the five loaves of bread and two fish, but imagine… What if the boy said to Jesus, “Hey man, this bread and these fish are for my family.   It’s not for those people.  If you take our food my family will suffer.” This is what I think would have been a normal response for somebody in the boy’s position.  “We were prepared, we shouldn’t suffer because they didn’t bring anything.  Because they didn’t give.”  Or what if Christ said this to the Father?  What if our Lord would have said, “Heavenly Father, why should I give up my life for them? This doesn’t benefit me?  It’s too great of a cost!” Praise the Lord, Jesus didn’t say this…

I think all of us, if we are honest with ourselves, have experienced each of these discouragements when we are asked to give to the Church.

Friends, these are mentalities that are easy for us all to slip into.  But here’s the thing, these mentalities are not consistent with the Christian way of life.  These mentalities are not Jesus’ mentality.  Saint Peter reminds us in his letter that the mentality of a Christian is one who recognizes that all that we have is a gift, and the gifts we have are meant to be shared for the good of all as good stewards of God’s grace (1 Peter 4:10).

Praise God that Jesus had a different way of thinking!  Praise God that Jesus knew how to turn a small gift into a large one! And really, should we be surprised?  Think about it, our Lord Jesus already performed the greatest miracle ever: He is God and He became one of us.  Then he called the apostles, who were simple men and in the eyes of the world lacked talent.  And yet, they became the catalyst for the early Church to grow.  Then there is the gift of the Eucharist, where Jesus sends down his Holy Spirit and transforms simple bread and simple wine into his real presence so that he could spiritually feed us today.  Should we really doubt that he can transform our gifts into something amazing at this parish?

Brothers and Sister, imagine for a moment, just imagine… What good Jesus could accomplish through our parish if all of us gave in a way that was appropriate to our family.  I encourage any family’s here who have not been able to give ask yourself, “what could my family right now afford to give this parish?” Or if you are already an active giver, is God maybe inviting you to increase your giving by 1%? Here’s the point: Fr. Tony, myself, and the staff wants to offer so much more for this parish.  Imagine what God could do through the ministries of this parish if all of us confronted our own discouragements and had the courage and trust of the boy from the Gospel.  We, through God’s grace, could accomplish even more amazing things here at Our Lady of Consolation.

 

In Christ’s love and friendship,

Fr. Stephen

So, my favorite sport is basketball. I love to watch basketball as much as. I like to play it. One of the funniest evenings over the past year was during March Madness. Fr. Tony came back in the evening, and saw another college basketball game on the TV. He said jokingly with a tone of seriousness, “Seriously man, again? Basketball again? Do you watch anything else?!?”

But anyway, I love basketball and one of my favorite players is Stephen Curry. Early on in Stephen Curry’s career, he was no where near the player he is today. And he asked his coaches this question: What do I need to do to become a better player? His coaches gave him two things specifically. They said, become a better defender, and a better ball handler. If you do that, you will be great. Today, he is maybe one of the most crafty ball handlers in the league, and he has become an above-average defender. His improvement in his dribbling skills enabled him to become the MVP caliber player he is today.

Ok, why I am talking about all of this? I think coaching is so important in sports. In professional sports, having the right coach can make the difference between having an average team and a contending team. So, what is that one quality that all excellent coaches share? They know how to give challenging and constructive feedback. They do not tell their players that everything is fine. Sure, they affirm the good, absolutely! But they also, challenge and demand that their players change bad habits, strengthen their weaknesses, so that they can reach their potential.

This is what Jeremiah is talking about today. Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture. In other words, woe to those shepherds, who are like bad coaches. Who do not tell their flock what they need to hear. Worse yet, they cause confusion and cause their flock to scatter. A good example of this is a friend of mine from high school. He was good basketball player and had the talent to play on the high school team. Time and time again, his coach would say, “Great job!” And yet, my friend’s frustration would grow because he never really got a chance to play. Why? Well, really, because his coach did not tell him what he needed to improve. He was only told you’re doing well. You can see why he was frustrated… He needed his coach to help him see his weaknesses so he could improve. Shepherds are called to be good coaches. And that means good shepherds both affirm well and challenge well.

One question for us to consider this weekend is, “What do I expect of my parish priests?” And, more specifically, “what do I expect in my pastor’s homilies?” “Do I expect him to both challenge and affirm?” Before I go any further, I am not saying that priests should never preach on God’s love, or preach in uplifting ways, but if a priest is always giving homilies that are uplifting and proclaim God’s love, but never challenges his people, something is out of balance… He is called to both affirm and challenge. At times, homilies should point out bad behaviors that all of us can fall into. And homilies should challenge societal errors. Just like Stephen Curry, who needed his bad habits and weaknesses pointed out, we to need our spiritual leaders to do the same. If we as your priests don’t do this, then we are the people Jeremiah is talking to today. And then Jesus, does look down at all of you with pity, for the good people of God are [like] sheep without a shepherd.

With this in mind, I think we can consider two important things in our spiritual lives. First, I encourage all of us here, if we have ever heard a homily that was challenging, or that bothered you a bit, and it maybe left you a little angry with the priest, I invite you to reconsider that homily. What was it about that homily that bothered you? Is the Holy Spirit possibly convicting your conscience through that homily? And maybe, after considering this we will have a new admiration and respect for our shepherds, “Thank you Father, that you love us enough to challenge us even if its uncomfortable.” This is not easy for priests to do. Its much easier to avoid difficult topics, or topics that call people on to holiness. But here’s the thing, none of us should every feel like my friend from high school who couldn’t get playing time. None of us should never have to say, “I didn’t know that was a sin, or that this was wrong… Why didn’t someone ever tell me?”

The second thing for us to consider is this: Am I coachable? Am I, like Stephen Curry, willing to hear that I am not perfect, that I have flaws, and that these are being pointed out in my life so that I can do be better? Am I willing to hear that I have things I need to change, and that my pastor is called to point those things out for me.

This analogy works so well. All of us need good shepherds in our lives. All of us need people who are willing to say, “you know what, I love you, and I love you enough to tell you that you need to change this behavior, or bad habit.” If you do this, you will grow tremendously in your spiritual life. For this reason all priests are required to have a spiritual director, someone who challenges us to grow in virtue and to be more accountable. We can’t hold you to this standard if we don’t do it ourselves. Much like a player cannot become better unless he listens to the constructive feedback of his coach, we too cannot grow if we do not listen to out “spiritual coaches”; our good Shepherds.

So, friends, are you coachable?

In Christ’s love and friendship,

Fr. Stephen