A very cute Christmas video from New Zealand

What should we do?!?

In the gospel reading this past Sunday the crowds asked John the Baptist, "What should we do?!?"

John had inspired them to actively prepare the way for the coming of the Lord and they wanted to do something.  

I think we are feeling the same thing... what should we do?

Our tragedy has us feeling helpless, powerless, hollow, and vulnerable.  We want to do something.  We want to respond with action.

I firmly believe that we can only make the world a better place if we change.  The difficult truth is that I can't... you can't... no one can make another person better.

We only have control over ourselves.  

Our world really is about people.  If the people are selfish, angry, or violent then our world will be.

If we change our lives then we can really make the world a better place.  The answer to our question, "What should we do?!?" is to grow in holiness, charity, compassion, kindness, patience, tolerance, and love.

I'm not John the Baptist... but this is what I'll tell you to do.

Give something significant to the poor/a charity and make that a habit.
Pray for at least a few minutes a day.
Smile.
Do something nice for the person in your daily life that annoys you the most.  Make this a habit.
Be patient in traffic.  Make this a habit.
Smile!!!
Watch at least 1/2 hour less of TV a day... make that a habit.
SMILE!!! (this is important)
Get some exercise.
Get a bit more sleep.

These are some basic things that you can do that really will help you become a holier person.  

You can only change yourself.  If you do that you will really make the world a better place.

Guadete Sunday

Newton CT shooting... a Christian reflection

It seems that something should be said.

It seems that some words ought to be offered, some reflection shared, some prayer uttered...

That maybe... somehow... something might help.

I don't have the words.  I can't manage to reflect.  I can barely pray.

I feel completely helpless.  I'm hollow inside.  I feel powerless and unsafe.

I have no words.  Nothing seems to help.

I've been thinking of Jesus' words.  What did He say?  Is there any comfort to be found in His thoughts?

At various times He said: "Go, your sins are forgiven," "your faith has saved you," "be healed..."  He said so many things...

At other times these words brought such comfort, such compassion, security, and deep peace.  But not today, not now, not for this!

The only words of Jesus that ring true today, here, and now are His last before He died, "My God my God why have you abandoned me!?!"

My God my God why have you abandoned us!!!

Why!?!

Those words ring true today... 

Those are the words that fit!!!

Yet... those final words are the words that saved us.

All the words of healing, compassion, and mercy were not the words that saved us.  Those words were not the words that brought about our salvation.

It was His last exclamation, before He died.  His last words were our salvation.  It was His suffering on the cross that saved us.  His abandonment and His pain healed us.

It was with those words of powerlessness, helplessness, and pain that He saved the world.  It was then that He defeated evil.  It was then that He ended the cycle of violence.  It was with those words that He gave us peace.

I think He is still with us and today those painful words ring ever so true. Those words still save us... those words still bring us hope.

My prayers go out to all the victims, families, friends, and everyone who has been touched by this tragedy.
My God bless you

Homily Second Sunday of Advent

The other day I was watching TV and I saw a commercial for, what seems like, the latests gizmo or gadget.  You might have seen this too.  I must admit that I was rather puzzled after I saw it.  The commercial was for a new vacuum for your ear. 

When I saw this I wondered...
It just had never crossed my mind to clean out my ears with a little vacuum.  I asked myself do I really need this?

I think that something very similar happens to us today, especially as we hear these readings from Scripture.  When we hear the word "Salvation" I wonder if we don't have the same response that I had to the ear vacuum.  We might not know what it is.  

I know that the majority of people who take their Christian faith seriously know that they need "salvation" but I'm not too sure if we really know what it is?

I know for certain that most people, in our world today, don't know what salvation really.  I also think that their reaction to the idea is the same as my reaction to the ear vacuum.

"I don't know what that is... and so I almost certain that I don't need it."

So what is it?  We hear it being promised over and over in the readings.  In the first reading from Baruch we hear that God is promising to His people salvation.

At the time that this was written to the people of Israel they were in the midst of the Babylonian Exile.  The Jewish people lived at a time where they were surrounded by their enemies.  Their families had been ripped apart and they had been conquered. 

In the ancient world the easiest way to destroy a nation that was conquered was to take their children out of their homes and raise them in the homes of the conquering nation.  When a people loose their children they loose their future.  There was no easier and quicker way to destroy a culture than to take and raise their children in a different land according to a different culture.

So when the people of Israel heard the promise of God saying, "Up, Jerusalem!... look to the east and see your children Gathered from the east and west....God will bring them back to you!" They knew what salvation meant.  They heard clearly what God was promising.

God was going to deliver them from their misery.  He had promised that he would reunite them with their children.  He would establish peace with their neighbors and He would end the wars that had ravished their land.  But not only that.  But not only that the promise of salvation was also a promise of peace with one's self and God.

God's salvation is also forgiveness of sin and a healing of your heart.

Who doesn't know the pain of a wounded or broken family?  Who doesn't know the need to forgive a family member or need the courage to ask for forgiveness?  Who's family doesn't need the grace of God to help heal and restore? 

But more than that... who doesn't need to be forgiven for their own sin?  Who among us is without the need to have our relationship with God and ourselves healed and strengthened?  Can anyone of us say that we do not know the pain of a broken heart, sorrow, suffering, sin, guild, shame, pain or any other deep wound of life?

Who doesn't need the grace of God to heal their broken heart?  You are not alone.  We all carry this pain.  We all suffering this way.  God's salvation can heal us and our family.

Consider God's eagerness to offer us this gift.  The first reading says that every mountain will be made low and every valley will be filled in.  God will not allow anything to come between us and His gift of salvation.

Consider what John the Baptist is crying out in our Gospel reading.
He said, "Prepare the way for the Lord, [for]... all flesh will see the salvation of God."  He was preaching repentance and the forgiveness of sin.

The thing that this Advent season is about is coming to understand what is really being offered to us by God.  We are preparing to celebrate Jesus' birth.  He came to us to offer us salvation.  This salvation is a message that peace is possible.  Wars can be ended, families can be healed, your heart can be made whole, and your sins can be forgiven.  God has come to put this world right!  He won't allow anything to stand in His way.  No tall mountain, no deep valley, no winding road, nor rough path will prevent God from offering us the gift of salvation.

We need salvation.  Its not like some unknown or unwanted gizmo on TV.  Salvation is something that we long for... even if we didn't know what the word meant.

Build Up Faith!

Hello all,

"Build Up Faith" has begun!!!

This past Sunday the new adult faith formation program here at St. Paul Church began.

The first topic was "Faith: what it is and how to go deeper."

Next Sunday, December 9th, I will present on "Prayer"

The final topic this December will be on "Catholic: what it means to be Catholic in the world today."  That will be on December 16th.

I am also looking for feedback from anyone who has opinions as to what topics I could address in future Build Up Faith seminars.  There will be more seminars and I really want you to tell me what you want to learn about.  

I picked the first three topics and I am hoping that I won't have to pick any more of them.  So, let me know what you want to learn about!

Thank you to all who helped out this past Sunday.  I am very grateful.  I was feeling terrible with my cold and your help made the whole evening a huge success.  Thank you!

Homily: Christ the King (34th Sunday in Ordinary time cycle B)

Today (Sunday Nov. 25th) is my three month anniversary of being ordained a priest.  Having given that some thought I also thought about the types of things that I have said in my homilies.  I noticed that I have shared with you information about who I am and other person bits of information.

So today I thought I would share something else with you.  I am a fan of country music.  I'm not sure if this fact positively or negatively impacts your opinion of me but it is true.

As I was thinking and praying about these readings the lyrics to a few country music songs came to my mind.  The first is the phrase Have you ever seen a headstone with these words, "If only I had spent more time at work?" The other song is a bit more obscure and unknown but it says, "Ain't no hearse with a trailer hitch." 

 As I thought about our celebration of the Solemnity of Jesus Christ the King of the Universe the idea, the challenge, and the question of our priorities came to mind.  The truth is that our faith, these readings, and this celebration does challenge us to rethink what our priorities are.

What words would you put on your headstone?  What would you want to put in a trailer behind your hearse?

In our lives there are so many things that we consider important and valuable.  But the question for us today, as we celebration Christ the King is, "Is Jesus Christ our King?"  

We heard in our first reading that the prophet Daniel foretells of the Kingdom of Jesus when he tells us that "His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away.  His kingship shall not be destroyed."

We all know that there are also so many "authorities" in our lives.  We have mayors, governors, presidents, all manners of elected and appointed officials.  There are princes, kings, queens, royalty, emperors, dictators, potentates, czars, oligarchs, and all types of bosses that seem to rule our world.  We have states, counties, nations, countries, federations, empires, towns, dominions, and fiefdoms.  Yet all of these will ultimately come to nothing.  

The only Kingdom and authority that will last is that of Jesus Christ.

Pilate and Jesus

In the Gospel we see the conversation between Pontius Pilate and Jesus just before Jesus is crucified.  Pilate wants to know if Jesus is a king because Pilate is a powerful governor of the Roman empire and if Jesus is a king he would deal with Jesus very differently than if He were just some unimportant Jewish carpenter.

When Jesus is asked if he is a king He responds that His "kingdom does not belong to this world."  The truth is that His Kingdom is not of this world.  Jesus is not a worldly king.  His Kingdom does not belong to this world but... this world does belong to His Kingdom!

When it is all over the only authority and Kingdom that will last is that of Jesus Christ.

In our second reading Jesus clearly says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega [the beginning and the end]... the one who is, and who was, and who is to come, the almighty." 

There is another common phrase that you've probably heard, "There are no atheists in a fox hole."

I can say that this is absolutely true.  Now, I've never see war or known combat but I can say that at the moment when you face the reality of your own mortality that faith is real.

At that moment of death, when you pass from this life to the next, you know and experience the presence of Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe.  I know because I have been dead.

I was born with a very serious heart condition.  I have had five open-heart surgeries and I've been "clinically" dead twice.  I know, no faith needed and no doubts possible, that Jesus was there at my birth and He was there at my death.  He was there at your birth and he will be there at your death.  He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  

He was there at the creation of the world and He will be there at the end of the world when God finally puts all things right.

Jesus Christ is the King of the Universe.  The only question that remains is... "Is Jesus your king?"

Bacon wrapped maple pork!!!

Not miy picture but this is what it should look like when done.

Hello all,

I promised in my homily today (I'll post that later) that I would share the receipt for my "signature dish" that I call "Bacon Wrapped Maple Pork."

There is a funny story behind this dish: 

About 6 years ago a older friar came up to me a few days before it was my turn to cook for the week and he handed me a receipt.  He had this mischievous twinkle in his eye as I took it and opened the folded piece of paper.

Inside I found a complicate receipt for pork loin wrapped in bacon and marinaded in maple syrup.  It was rather complicated... but I cooked it for him the next week and the friars loved it.  I've simplified the receipt (I don't really cook using receipts) and now I'll share it with you.

Ingredients:

Pork loin (about 1/2 lb. to 3/4 lb. per person so that there is a small chance that you will have leftovers)

Regular bacon (avoid the "maple flavored" stuff... you'll need about 1 lb. per 5 lbs. of loin)

Real maple syrup (it has to be the real stuff... about 16-24 oz. for every 5-7 lbs. of pork.  You can stretch it by adding water since the real maple syrup is expensive)

Brown sugar: I use about 2 cups.

Various seasonings: This will make up the marinade.  I like garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, dried parsley,  and salt (about half as much brown sugar).  I do not like rosemary so I won't use it.  You are free to try it but I don't know how it will taste.  Please feel free to make the marinade anyway that you want.

Directions:

Thaw the pork loin if it is frozen.

Poke a few hundred shallow holes in the loin with a small knife.

Mix the marinade: maple syrup, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and herbs to taste.  Yon can thin this with water to stretch it a bit.

Marinade the thawed pork loin in the maple syrup marinade for at least 24 hours.

A tip: I use a clean garbage bag to marinade in.  It is easy to get the loin fully covered and smothered with the marinade.  Just dump everything in there on top of the loin, squeeze all the air out and twist the top tight and closed.  Then put it in a bowl to go in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

There is no mess.  The new garbage is clean and this allows full coverage with less marinade.  Be sure to flip the bag over in the bowl once during the marinade process to even everything out.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put the loin fat side down on a rack over an open roasting pan.  Put some of the marinade in the bottom of the roasting pan.

Cover the top of the loin with bacon so that it drapes over the loin like a towel over a towel rack.  Completely cover the loin.

Cook the bacon wrapped loin, on the rack, over the roasting pan, with some marinade in it, for about 20 minutes per pound.  

You will need to add some water to the bottom of the pan, occasionally, to keep the marinade from evaporating and becoming impossible to clean off.

The marinade in the pan steams everything with the sweet flavors and helps the final taste.  But it does not need to be basted.

Cook the loin till the center reaches 165 degrees.

Take it out of the oven and let it rest on a cutting board with the bacon (which is probably crispy at this point) still on top.  Let it rest for about 10 minutes.

The thick marinade in the bottom of the pan can be thinned with water and drizzled over the pork if you'd like.  It might be too sweat/salty so try it to see if you like it.  It will not make a good gravy... I've tried it.

Serve nice thick slices with some bacon and I think you'll like it.

I normally steam asparagus and brown/wild/long grain rice with this dish (I avoid the processed white rice).  

Enjoy and let me know how you liked it!

Homily: 29th Sunday in ordinary time cycle B

If you were to talk with my mother she might tell you that the only time in my life were I was a trouble-maker was when I started hanging out with a classmate of mine when I was in the 7th grade. My friend, Brad, was always finding new ways to cause trouble and be disobedient.

I'll never forget when he shared with me his motto and motivation for causing trouble.  He said, "It is better to reign in hell than serve in heaven."* 

There's also another example that I think is worth considering.  Right now there is a movie in theaters called Atlas Shrugged II.  I'm not too familiar with the movie but I am familiar with the author of the book that the movie is based on.  Her name is Ayn Rand and in teaching (she was a philosopher) she claimed that one of the greatest human virtues is selfishness.  She claimed that altruism was not only wrong but evil.

In regards to Christianity she held the view that the idea of the ideal man [Jesus Christ], the perfect man, the one with perfect virtue who suffered and was killed to save those who were sinners, the weak, and the non-perfect people "is a monstrous idea."**

I share these two thoughts with you because they are not random and unrelated ideas but because these two sentiments are very common today.  Our world generally dislikes the idea of "serving others" and our world does exalt the virtue of selfishness.

For many people in our culture the notion of Christianity is completely absurd and ridiculous.  The idea of willingly humbling yourself, nor striving for authority and power, the idea of self-sacrifice, and suffering for love of others is beyond offensive to many.

Yet this is exactly what our faith is about.  It is certainly what our readings are about today.

Notice what we see in the Gospel.  Jesus has told his apostles that He is bringing about God's Kingdom on earth.  He is going to Jerusalem to complete the work of building this Kingdom on earth.  He is going to suffer and die but James and John just didn't get it. 

The first thing that they ask for is power, authority, and importance. They ask if they can be the second and third in command in the new kingdom.  They want to be great and powerful like so many in our world.


Jesus says in reply, "You don't know what you are asking for."  Then he immediately asks them if they are willing to suffer.  That is the key to greatness in God's Kingdom.  A willingness to serve the least and suffer for love of others is the real mark of greatness in the Kingdom of God.  

Jesus commands them never to use their power to "lord it over others" and never to "make their authority felt" but rather to serve because He came to serve and not to be served.

We see in the first reading that this is precisely what Jesus' entire mission here on earth was about.  He came to serve us, to suffer for us, to die for us to save us and to carry our guilt.  Ayn Rand had it right... this is exactly what Christianity is about.  God, the holy and perfect one, came to suffer and die for us sinners.


He came to embrace your suffer and pain.  The only way that God can do this is if you are willing to make yourself vulnerable to God.  

We all have pain and suffering weakness and shame.  We all carry the burden of guilt and sin... I know that I do.  We all have hidden shame and those emotional wounds that we dare not ever mention to anyone.  We all carry this burden.  Yet God knows our burden because He became human to suffer with us and thus be able to heal us.

The second reading says that we do have a High Priest [Jesus] who is able to sympathize with our sufferings and weaknesses because He has shared them with us.  He can heal you... all you need to do is face you weakness, admit guilt, and share the shame and He can and will heal you.

So many people suffer courageously in such silence and it does not need to be that way! Please know that there is healing and peace available through Jesus.  I know because I've experienced it!

Jesus came to heal us and if we want to be great in His Kingdom then we must be willing to serve others.  We cannot buy into the idea that "reigning in hell" is better than "serving in heaven."  

The invitation that Jesus offered to James and John, and to us today, is to drink from the cup that Jesus drank.  This same cup, of suffering, love, service to others, and self-sacrifice, is the cup that we offer and share on the altar.  When we receive the Eucharist we are sharing in His sacrifice, we are seeking His healing, and we are committing ourselves to serving others.




* "It is better to reign in hell than serve in heaven" is a quote from John Milton's poem Paradise Lost

** I paraphrased Ayn Rand's ideas from many places but you can see the exact quote's here.  That site is a political blog and by linking to it I am not supporting their views.  I am simply using it as a good source of Ayn Rand's ideas and quotes.  You can find out more about her and her work at The Ayn Rand institute website.

A life changing perspective

Hello all,

I was chatting with someone the other day and in our chat I suggested that this person really look into the ideas and work of Brene Brown.  

I first came across her ideas and work through watching a few of her videos on YouTube.  She gave two talks that I watched that moved me deeply.

The first talk was on her study of emotional vulnerability.  She claims that it is the source of meaningful connection and also the source of joy and happiness.


The second talk is on listening to shame and the lies that it tells and how it compels us to live with a tremendous burden.




I am thinking that the central truth that she is sharing is the secret to the challenge of the Gospel and also the readings that he will hear this weekend at mass.

I'm still wrestling with the message/homily but I really wanted to share these videos with you because I truly believe that what she is sharing is life changing, liberating, and spiritually empowering.

They are not short videos but well worth the time to watch and even take notes.  Re-watch them, pray with them, share them and I think it will help to make the lives of other much better.

Let me know what you think. God bless

No homily today

Hello all,

I did not preach at mass today because our deacon (Deacon Carmen) gave the homily. 

He did a wonderful job.

Well... since I don't have anything really worthwhile on my mind I'll post one of my favorite funny pictures.

I really like bacon ;-)

I hope you have a wonderful week.

God bless!

The afterlife

Hello all,

Often scientists are very skeptical (if not downright opposed) to the idea of life after death.

Well I just read an article about a neuroscientist who had an experience that made him change his mind about the afterlife.

Dr. Eben Alexander fell into a coma in 2008 which is when he had his experience that convinced him of the reality of the afterlife.  He is now publishing an essay and sharing his experiences for the October 15th issue of Newsweek.

Personally I believe in life after death... I think all Christians do.  I'm also a big fan of science and I'm constantly wrestling with where science and religion meet or disagree.  So, I'll be reading this article with interest.

Check it out if you are interested in this type of thing as well.

Homily: 27th Sunday in Ordinary time, cycle B

One of my favorite movie stars is Clint Eastwood.  I really enjoy most of his movies and he has many memorible quotes.  One of his movie lines that I think of from time-to-time is, "A man's got to know his limitations."



When it comes to our readings today  about marriage I can say that I've reached my limitations.

I can not tell you how to be happily married.  I can't tell you what to do to make marriage work.  I can't even tell you how to go about trying to find someone who would be a good person to marry.  I just don't know this type of information.  I have no experience of being married, I'm not married, and I won't ever be married.  So here it is.  This is one of my limitations.

But... I can tell you the "why" about marriage.  I can tell you why it is so important.  Why marriage is the central theme in our readings today.  And why Jesus was so uncompromising on His teachings against divorce.

Our first reading comes from the second chapter of Genesis.  If we want to understand why marriage is so important it is good to start "In the beginning" with the chapter just before.  In Genesis chapter one we read that all humans are created in the image and likeness of God. 

That means, that in some real way, if you look into the mirror you will see the reflection of God.  You are in God's very own image and likeness.  

Even as Adam was in the image and likeness of God he was still incomplete and was lacking something.  So God made for him a suitable partner.  It wasn't any animal but finally a woman (Eve).  She was like him, she complimented him, and she completed him. It was with her that he united and joined her as "one flesh."

In that moment, in that embrace, in that union of two into one flesh we can see the human person being most fully in the image and likeness of God... let me explain.

God is a Trinity of three persons and yet just one God.  This is hard to understand but allow me to try to explain it.

God the Father (the first person of the Trinity) speaks one Word.

Before time and eternity became the Father spoke one Word... that Word is the second person of the Trinity.  It was that second person who took on our human nature and we call him Jesus.

I'm so lo-tech that I literally drew this on a piece of paper and then
took a picture of it on my phone to post it here

The Father spoke one Word and the Word then loves the Father.  The love that they share is the Holy Spirit.  The love and the union between the Word and the Father is the Holy Spirit... the third person of the Trinity.  The Holy Spirit is the bond of love between the Father and the Word.

Marriage is the domestic trinity!

In the bond and union of marriage humans most completely and totally show forth the inner life of the Holy Trinity.  In the bond of marriage human beings are most perfectly in the image and likeness of the Trinity.

I hope you can see how marriage is in the image and likeness of the Holy Trinity.
Sorry again for the lo-tech graphics.

Just as in the Holy Trinity the bond of love between the Father and the Word is the Holy Spirit so too in the domestic trinity the bond of love between a husband and a wife is open to the new life of a child.

The bond of marriage is the most perfect image and likeness of God that there is.  From the altar we, weekly, receive the physical presence of the Lord.  In the Eucharist we are physically united to God.  So too, in marriage, does a man and a woman physically imitate God.

This is why we believe what we do about Marriage.  This is why the Church teaches what it does in regards to the many moral issues surrounding marriage.

So often when it comes to morality, especially these types of issues, people think of the teaching of the Church as nothing more than a long list of: Don't do this... don't do that... don't... no, No, NO!



That is most certainly not what we believe at all!

When the Holy Trinity loves creation always springs forth.

So to in the domestic trinity of marriage the physical gift of one's self to another should always be open to new life.  This is why we are opposed to artificial contraception.

In His plan God has shared with the married couple the task of continuing the work of creation.  There is nothing that God loves more that new life and so it takes the complementarity of one woman and one man to create life.  There is no other arrangement were life can come about.  This is why we are opposed to redefining marriage as something other than one man and one woman.

Certainly the work of co-creating new life is a precious gift that God shares freely and there is nothing that God loves more than the physical union that brings about new life.  This is why it is so wonderful, so powerful, so exciting, and so pleasurable. The physical union of two people is so incredible because God wanted it to be that way!  He chose to make that physical union so wonderful.  The experience of the ecstasy of this union is a direct sharing in the joy that God has in creating new life. 

We must never end this new human life.  That is why we are apposed to abortion.

The gift of one's whole self in marriage must always be a complete gift.  But we believe that the openness to new life should come after the vows of two people to share their lives for life.  That is why we believe that the giving of someone's body to another should always come after their marriage vows... and never before.
That is why we teach that people should wait for marriage to give their bodies to each other.

In the Gospel we hear Jesus speak very strongly against divorce.  He clearly teachings that it is God's will that a man and a woman be joined in marriage and that that union cannot be "divorced."

This makes perfect sense if we believe that marriage is the domestic trinity.  The union and relationships within the Holy Trinity are not temporary nor are they ever going to be ended.  So for us, as Christians, we believe that marriage imitates this permanence and thus marriage lasts "till death do us part!"

Please understand that these teachings and beliefs are not easy.  They are especially difficult in today's world where point-by-point popular culture seems to oppose our faith.  Many people don't even like it when this is preached from the pulpit.  

The domestic trinity

I understand the difficulty but Jesus is uncompromising.  Our faith is challenging.  The plan of God calls us to live up to a lofty ideal. Our being in the image and likeness of God is a tremendous challenge.  For us marriage is not just "another life option" nor it is a quaint arrangement.  Marriage is nothing short of a physical and life-long imitation of the Holy Trinity.  For the Christian marriage is the "Domestic Trinity." This is why we believe what we do about it.  This is why we consider it such a treasure.  This is why Jesus was so uncompromising on His teachings about the bond of marriage.

Homily: 25th Sunday of Ordinary time cycle B

This past Thursday Fr. Raymond and I went to Syracuse to join in a celebration for all the Friars in our community who were celebrating their anniversary of ordination or religious profession.  It was a wonderful trip but as we were driving into town I noticed something that made me think.

On one side of the highway there was a large, beautiful, white building with a big steeple and big windows in it.  It also had wide and inviting door out front.

As we drove down a little bit further there was another large building.  This one was beautiful, red, brick, with two steeples and large windows as well.  It too had large and inviting doors out front.

These two buildings seems so similar in their "feel" and their emotional appeal.  Their construction seemed to inspire and invite people to partake of the wonders that they contained.

One was the mall and the other was the Church where we were going for the celebration!

Where do you worship?

Where do you find yourself going to for comfort and rest?
Which building draws you in and which location inspires you?

The mall?

Which set of wonders do you partake of to calm and sooth the pain and suffering of life?

Where do you worship?

Last week we heard in the readings the call to take up our cross and follow Jesus.  The message is clear that life will include suffering and it can't be avoided.  In fact Jesus is calling us to suffer if we want to be His disciple.  Where do you go to give you strength, comfort, peace, and rest from the suffering of life?

In church?

Where do you worship?

Saint James tells us that we are all fighting a war within our members.  This happens between people and within our own selves... within our hearts.  We are fighting a war in the depths of who we are.

You see, when we are confronted with suffering and the reality of death there are only two options to the way that we can respond.  We can respond with a type of silent despair at the pointlessness of it all.  For those who respond to suffering with despair there is the remedy of living in a way that covers over the despair with pleasure, power, and possessions.

For others there is faith.  We believe that death is not the end but it actually a moment of incredible joy at the promise of a new eternal life.  We also know the hope that claims that God really is at work in our world and that suffering has meaning, value, and merit.  

We can choose despair or faith, hope, and joy.

We can choose to struggle with the reality of suffering and death at the mall seeking pleasure, possessions, and power. (So many "new and trendy" things are just status symbols which is a symbol of social power and prestige)

Or we can choose to struggle with the reality of suffering and death at Church where we can get in touch with the hope and joy that comes with the experience of God's grace and His eternal promises.

In response to suffering we can choose spiritual therapy or "retail therapy"

Where do you worship?

But please be aware that if you choose to live a life of real hope and joy it will not be easy.  For those in our world who have chosen despair (pleasure, power, and possessions) they will not appreciate those who have chosen real hope and joy.  In fact our reading from the book of Wisdom makes the point clearly.  

"The wicked say, 'Let us attack the just one for he is obnoxious to us.  He sets himself against our [seeking pleasure, power, and possessions]... Let us condemn him to a shameful death [to prove that life really is only despair]."

For those who choose despair they often resent those who live with hope and joy.  As such the despairing can  try to prove that life is despair by attacking those who live with faith.

That being said, I have a confession to make, I myself do enjoy a bit of "retail therapy" every now and then.  I am responsible to preach this message but that does not mean that I always live up to it.

I love getting a new tool for my woodworking workshop.  There is something exciting and pleasurable about it... I'm not unlike everyone reading this.  We all experience this type of pleasure.

So... if you are like me and you are sometimes stuck between the mall and church.  If you sometimes worship in both locations please let the Gospel offer you come comfort (and a challenge).

Here we see that Jesus, for a second time, has told the apostles that he will be going to Jerusalem, suffer, be tortured, and killed.

Notice how the apostles respond to hearing this message a second time.  As they begin their journey they argue amongst themselves who is the greatest.  They completely miss the point that Jesus is trying to say.  The apostles hear of suffering and they choose the same silent despair that we all sometimes choose.  Their immediate reaction is to cling to power (pleasure and possessions) as a way to handle this terrible news of Jesus' suffering and death.

If you ever find that the mall (power, pleasure, and possessions) is the way that you handle the pain and suffering of life then don't worry... you are in good company.  The apostles made that same mistake.


We must be challenged by Jesus' call to respond to suffering with faith, hope, and joy instead of despair.

Where do you worship?