Middle of Summer

Celebrating the feasts of our founding fathers

06/29/2023

Mt 16:13-19 When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

There is a strange but significant coincidence in the calendar that occurs every June and July. At the end of June, on the 29th, we celebrate the dual feasts of Sts. Peter and Paul. And at the beginning of July, on the 4th, we celebrate American Independence Day. Arguably the two greatest leading lights of the first generation of Americans were George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

And just like Washington and Jefferson were the principal founding fathers of our country, so, too, Peter and Paul were the founding apostles of the Church. I would like to draw out a few parallels between these two pairs of exceptional leaders that might help us love our Church and our country a little more in the middle of the summer.

The first point to mention in this parallel is that in each pair one man was a fighter and the other was the thinker. We all know how George Washington was the fearless general who led American forces to victory against the British crown. Washington loved this nation so much he was willing to lay down his life for her. Henry Lee wrote in Washington’s funeral eulogy: “First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of all Americans.”

Similarly, St. Peter’s personality was pugilistic, too. He told Jesus in no uncertain terms he was ready to die for him. And Peter was the one in the Garden of Gethsemane who pulled out his sword to defend his Lord. Both Washington and St. Peter were men of action, ready to fight and even die for the ones they loved. It should surprise no one, therefore, that one would be elected as this country’s first president, and the other would be chosen to be our first pope.

The other two men in these pairs were the intellectual giants who fought with their words and pen and paper. St. Paul and Thomas Jefferson both believed, in a sense, that the pen is mightier than the sword. Jefferson was the primary author of the masterfully written Declaration of Independence. He helped formulate the stipulations of the Constitution, a model for all democracies. He established the University of Virginia.

St. Paul wrote thirteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, almost 30% of what we know about early Christianity came from Paul’s inspired pen. That is, Paul and Jefferson were articulating with words and concepts what Peter and Washington were putting in place by their bravery and their sacrifices.

Another fascinating parallel is that both pairs of men came in contact with the Holy Bible, in one way or another. Washington began the laudable custom of the president placing his left hand on the Bible while making his oath of office. All subsequent presidents have followed that example.

A more dubious accomplishment was Jefferson’s own version of the Bible. In an effort to cut out all the embellishments – what he thought was inaccurate or superfluous – Jefferson with razor and glue cut out the parts of the New Testament he thought was inauthentic and historically untrue, that is, the miracles, the virgin birth, the resurrection, etc. That cut-and-paste version is commonly called The Jefferson Bible. We don’t use that for Bible studies here at the parish.

Of course, as I said, Paul authored thirteen of the New Testament letters, or 14 if you include Hebrews. Peter, for his part, added two brilliant letters in the New Testament. Together, Peter and Paul, were the human authors of 15 (or perhaps 16) of the New Testament books, which constitutes well over half of the New Testament.

Each man in his own way, but all four men in common, shared their reverence and deep regard for the Sacred Scriptures as the inspired Word of God. Whatever you may think about the Bible, it is a book you cannot ignore. It is the foundational text for our country, and for our Church.

Like with all analogies, this parallelism between these two pairs of founding fathers also limps and is imperfect. How so? Jesus says to Peter in the gospel today: “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” That is, the future of the Church is guaranteed by Christ himself.

However, Jesus did not make that same promise to the United States of America, or to any other nation, no matter how Christian they may claim to be. This weekend let us pray fervently for our Church and our nation. How blessed we are to have had such brilliant and dedicated founding fathers. May we not betray them, or what they built.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

 

When I Was Seven

Seeing how losing everything helps to gain God

06/26/2023

Mt 10:26-33 Jesus said to the Twelve: "Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father."

I want to share with you a life-changing experience I had as a small child. It caused me to live without fear, and became the first seed of my priestly vocation. When I was seven years old my family left India to come to the United States. It was 1976. That was a very traumatic move for me. Why? You might think it was a great thing for me. After all, who doesn’t want to come to America? People are lined up trying to get in.

But if you could look at things through my seven-year-old eyes, it would seem like I lost everything overnight. It felt like I lost my friends, my neighborhood where I played, the movie theater with the balcony seating I loved, the spicy Indian food, the language of Hindi and Malayalam which I spoke fluently (but don’t now), my school. And I landed in a world where I knew no one and nothing about the culture. Of I would learn to love this new world. But the seven-year-old Fr. John felt scared, lonely, and lost.

Nonetheless, I also felt something else: the first stirrings of faith. That is, I began to believe in my little child-like way that even if I lost everything and everyone in the world that I knew, there is Something and Someone I could never lose, namely, God. I believe from then on that God would hold me in his hand and never let me fall. This profound early experience also started to shape what I should do with my life.

I felt that not only should this experience help me to grow in faith, it might help others, too. I will give you one guess who tells other people about God, and how he holds them in the hollow of his hand? Priests do (you're so smart). Of course, I could not have articulated this at that time, but that experience in 1976 was a gold mine of grace, and I have returned time and time again to tunnel into that mine and find priceless nuggets of faith, hope, and love.

And I want to spend what years the Lord is pleased to give me tunneling further into that mine and bringing out the gold of grace for everyone I minister to as a priest. This is one of the great ironies of the Christian life: just when you think you have lost everything, you have gained the most important thing, namely, God.

In the gospel today, Jesus seems to be speaking to me and my experience as a small child leaving India. He says first, “Fear no one.” And I certainly learned to live without fear of anyone because while others can deprive me of everything material, they can never touch the God who holds me tightly in his tender hands. Jesus seems to reiterate this point by adding: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” In other words, the physical, material world, which includes our own bodies, can be killed or lost. But that is not the ultimate loss because your soul is still in God’s hands.

And the second point Jesus makes also echoes and resonates with me: “What I say to you in darkness speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.” I feel like I do that as a priest. God whispered to my seven-year-old heart in the darkness of leaving India. And now I share that profound experience in the light of the Eucharistic Lord at Mass, and proclaim and preach it from the rooftops of pulpits.

My friends, do you live in fear of loss? I think we all do, if we are honest. Perhaps you fear losing your job because of company cutbacks. Or, maybe you worry something will happen to your car, or house, or your possessions. Maybe you fear bodily illness and disease, or even death. Maybe it is the loss of your parents, or children, or friends that paralyzes you. Or you may lose your hair or your dog (which would be the worst loss of all).

All these fears are healthy and normal emotions, like what I felt when I left India and thought I had lost everything. And the simple fact is that we will eventually lose all these things. But that is only half the story. The good news is that what wins over fear and loss is faith and love: our childlike faith in God, and his endless love for us. That little lesson I learned as a seven-year-old is one that we will all learn sooner or later. I recommend sooner.

Ten years ago Bishop Taylor gave me a brief sabbatical of three months to live with the Carmelite friars in Dallas. The Carmelites understand perhaps better than anyone that deep Christian irony that only in losing everything will we finally find God. St. John of the Cross, one of the greatest Carmelite mystics, captured this truth writing:

“In order to arrive at having pleasure in everything, desire to have pleasure in nothing. In order to arrive at possessing everything, desire to possess nothing. In order to arrive at being everything, desire to be nothing. In order to arrive at knowing everything, desire to know nothing.” I obviously did not become a Carmelite friar, but I was glad to tunnel a little deeper into that goldmine of grace I discovered when I was seven. When we desire to lose all, we finally gain God.

My friends, I know this is a sober and somber sermon for a Sunday in the middle of summer. We are all trying to take a vacation, and be on the beach or climb a mountain. Give us a break, Fr. John! But like Wesley said to Princess Buttercup in the movie “The Princess Bride,” “Life is pain, your Highness. Anyone who tells you different is trying to sell something.” I am not trying to sell you anything, but only sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, which will help your faith overcome your fear, and help you to find the peace in the midst of your pain.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

 

Stone and Name

Learning how God bestows a name upon us

06/24/2023

Lk 1:57-66, 80 When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him. The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.

One of the most important decisions a father and mother will make is the choice of their child’s name. Why is that? Because children will carry on the family legacy and their name will forever be attached to that legacy. The first time I learned that names carry the family reputation and legacy was watching Gilligan’s Island. Remember that great television show?

One of the super wealthy characters was Thurston Howell III. He was the third generation of Thurstons to carry that name and he did so with great pride and often some arrogance because he refused to work on the island like everyone else. It is very likely Thurston would have bestowed his own name on his son, making him Thurston Howell IV. In this way, a name can transcend an individual and become almost timeless as the family lives on in each generation.

This is part of the controversy around naming John the Baptist in the gospel today. Male Jewish boys were circumcised on the eighth day after their birth and that was when the parents bestowed their name. Apparently, the neighbors of Zechariah and Elizabeth had been watching Gilligan’s Island, too, because they object to Elizabeth naming her son John. Why? They argue: “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” In other words, this baby boys should carry on the family legacy by having his father’s name.

At that point Zechariah makes signs to indicate that he agrees with his wife to call him John. And as if to show that God agreed, too, Zechariah’s tongue is loosed and he is able to speak again. Notice how his obedience to his wife healed him of his disobedience to God. Remember that, gentlemen. In other words, the name John would help this little boy to transcend time because it was given by God through an angel, and that is a far greater treasure than the wealth of Thurston Howell III.

My friends, we often have different names over the course of our life, besides the name that our parents pick with tenderness and care. Sometimes when a woman marries, she begins to use her husband’s last name. Although hyphenated last names are becoming more common. When a man or woman joins a religious order by becoming a monk or nun, they take a new name when they make their solemn vows.

You may recall Sr. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, more commonly called The Little Flower. When a cardinal is elected as pope, he takes a new name, like John Paul II, Benedict XVI, or Francis. All these choices of names carry powerful significance and deep symbolism. They are not chosen lightly but try to approximate what God might name us, like he named John in the gospel today.

But did you know that besides all these earthly names you may carry, you will also be given a new name in heaven? We read in Rv 2:17, “To the victor I shall give some of the hidden manna (that is the Eucharist). I shall also give a white stone upon which is inscribed a new name.” George MacDonald, the great Scottish Presbyterian minister who inspired C. S. Lewis, explained the significance of the white stone and new name.

He wrote in his sermons: “The giving of the white stone and the new name is the communication of what God thinks about the name to the man. It is the divine judgment. The true name is one which expresses the character, the nature, the meaning of the person who bears it. It is the man’s own symbol, the sign which belongs to him and to no one else.”

In other words, only when we get to heaven will we finally receive our real name – the name God chooses for us like he chose the name John the Baptist – and only then will we know who we truly are. Until then, we remain a mystery to ourselves, no matter how many generations of sons bear the name Thurston Howell.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

 

Which Power Prevails

Learning to embrace Jesus’ power and love

06/19/2023

Mt 5:38-42 Jesus said to his disciples: "You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow."

Last week I was re-reading one of C. S. Lewis’ most celebrated books, namely, Mere Christianity. Some books and some writers are worth reading repeatedly because we keep learning new lessons from them, even if they are “old, dead, white men.” Let me share with you an eloquent though lengthy passage from the conclusion of Mere Christianity. I hope you will see why I am so fond of this Oxford don. And I believe it also sheds considerable light on today’s gospel from Mt 5:38-42, taken from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

Lewis writes: “The present wicked and wasteful divisions between us [Christians] are, let us hope, a disease of infancy: we are still teething. [The Church is still a baby after 2,000 years.] The outer world, no doubts thinks just the opposite. It thinks we are dying of old age. But it has thought that very often before.”

Now, Lewis glances back at history, and states: “Again and again it has thought Christianity was dying, dying by persecutions from without and corruptions from within, by the rise of Mohammedanism, the rise of the physical sciences, the rise of great anti-Christian revolutionary movements [like Communism]. But every time the world has been disappointed. Its first disappointment was over the crucifixion. The Man [Jesus] came to life again.”

Lewis then compares what happened to Jesus with what will hopefully happen in the life of each Christian (me and you) and the Church as a whole. Listen to this colorful description of how the world’s apparent victory turns into utter defeat. Lewis continues: “In a sense – and I quite realize how frightfully unfair it must seem to them – that has been happening ever since. They keep on killing the thing that he started [the Church]: and each time, just as they are patting down the earth on its grave, they suddenly hear that it is still alive and has even broken out in some new place. No wonder they hate us.”

In other words, there is a deeper power at work in the world than guns, girls, and gold (as Lewis says in another place), that is, money, sex, and power. And that deeper reservoir of truly sustainable energy is the grace of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus’ love on the Cross is the really renewable energy that each Christian and the entire Church operates on. And that is what foils and confounds the world, hence Lewis concluded: “No wonder they hate us.”

In the gospel today Jesus is teaching his apostles and the early Christians all about this renewable energy in his Sermon on the Mount. Listen to how counter-cultural and other-worldly Jesus’ words sound: “But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well.”

But is this how the world and modern society think? Hardly. The world’s mantra is: you deserve the best; it’s my way or the highway; and insist on your rights and make sure you get what you have coming to you. In other words, there are two kinds of forces or energies that make the world go round.

One is natural and has a certain attraction and power. But it is finite and will eventually fizzle out. The other power is infinite and is only growing stronger every time it looks beaten and pushed into a corner. And Exhibit A of the second kind of power is Jesus’ crucifixion, death, and resurrection.

Today is called Juneteenth, and a federal holiday in the U.S. and here at I.C. Church because our church offices are closed. But not Mass! Juneteenth is a conflation of two words, June and nineteenth, to commemorate June 19, 1865, when Major General Gorden Granger declared freedom for enslaved people in Texas. That was two years after the Emancipation Proclamation by President Lincoln was issued in 1863.

Since then the Civil Rights movement has been a very important part of American life and culture. Racism is an objective and intrinsic evil and needs to be eradicated. But in the past 150 plus years the Civil Rights movement has sometimes resorted to power and persuasion as the world recommends, that is, by arms and violence.

At other times the Civil Rights movement has adopted another path, the way of peaceful protests and non-violent resistance. One power is finite and will finally fizzle out; the other power is infinite and will at last be victorious. Let us pray that Civil Rights leaders – and us - can figure out which power prevails.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

 

Raised Eyebrows

Checking our level of commitment to Christ

06/13/2023

2 Cor 1:18-22 Brothers and sisters: As God is faithful, our word to you is not "yes" and "no." For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed to you by us, Silvanus and Timothy and me, was not "yes" and "no," but "yes" has been in him. For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him; therefore, the Amen from us also goes through him to God for glory. But the one who gives us security with you in Christ and who anointed us is God; he has also put his seal upon us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.

Sometimes we underestimate the level of commitment required for certain tasks. This is why most men are inherently intimidated by the c-word, that is, commitment. I think I underestimated the level of commitment required to adopt a dog, like my beloved Apollo. I remember distinctly at the shelter the female employee asking me, “Have you ever had a dog before?” I said, “No.” She raised one eyebrow. Then she asked, “Are you sure you can commit to taking care of your dog for the next 13 to 15 years?” And I answered, “Sure.” Then she raised her other eyebrow.

And I could tell from the look on her face that she was thinking: “This guy has no clue what he is getting himself into.” Suddenly, I realized that is the exact same look and smile I give young couples preparing for marriage who over-confidently answer: “Sure, we can live together for the rest of our lives and love and honor each other!”

But the shelter did not take my answer at face value. They vetted me. They made me fill out a lengthy questionnaire about where I lived, who I lived with, the kind of yard I had, even the type and height of fencing around the yard. They asked for three people as references, and they called these people, too. I said astonished to a friend, “This is harder than the process to enter seminary!” And my replied, “That explains a few things, doesn’t it?”

And the shelter also insisted that if I did not want the dog, I would have to return him to the shelter, so they could likewise vet the next potential owner. Why did the shelter go to such lengths to check out the dog owner? Simple: they wanted to see my level of commitment. Or, see if I was a typical male who was intimidated by the c-word.

In the first reading today from 2 Corinthians 1, St. Paul is also inviting his newly formed community in Corinth to check their level of commitment to Christ. He writes: “As God is faithful our word to you is not ‘yes’ and ‘no’.” Then he explains that just like Jesus was always “yes” to God, so St. Paul is always “yes” to God, and to those he has evangelized.

But God’s unconditional “yes” awaits a similar echo of “yes’ from us. In other words, we, too, must be transformed into another Christ – and into another St. Paul! – and our commitment to God must likewise be a firm and unwavering “yes.” You see, Paul was vetting the Corinthians through his letter like that shelter employee was vetting me, to make sure the Corinthians did not underestimate their commitment to Christ. He wanted to make sure they were not intimidated by the c-word.

Folks, the way most Christians live and witness to their commitment to Christ is through their commitment in marriage. That is, when they stand at the altar on their wedding day, couples are saying, “Yes” not only to each other, but also to Jesus. And it is in the way couples love each other, honor each other, respect each other, forgive each other, inspire each other, and support each other, that their lives becomes their unconditional “yes” and echoes God’s unconditional “yes” to them in Jesus.

At the beginning of my wedding Masses, I like to say: “Welcome to this celebration of love! Not only the love of Joe Schmoe and Susie Q, but also the love of Jesus. And we pray that God bless you both with Christ’s love, so you love each other as Jesus loved us: unconditionally and to the end.” Like that shelter employee I am vetting their level of commitment. Like St. Paul I am urging them to be an unconditional “yes” to each other. Not “yes” today and “no” tomorrow.

My friends, we all have to check our level of commitment and not be intimidated by the c-word, whether we are adopting a dog, or marrying a spouse, or following our Savior. And pay close attention if people raise their eyebrows at you when you say over-confidently, “Sure, I can do that!”

Praised be Jesus Christ!

 

Flesh and Blood

Seeing how Jesus’ flesh and blood gives us eternal life

06/12/2023

Jn 6:51-58 Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

The older I get – I turn 54 this year – the more I see the similarities I share with my parents. This past week at the priests’ retreat one priest mentioned that I look a lot like my dad. My dad is a good-looking dude. Another priest remarked that I smile exactly like my mother, and she has a gorgeous smile. Many years ago Archbishop Sartain observed that I laugh just like my older brother, Paul. At first I reacted strongly denying it, like Peter in the courtyard of the high priest, “I know not the man!” I mean, what could be good about being like my older brother?

Most of us spend the first half our lives in denial of the obvious ways we are like our family of origin, those with whom we share flesh and blood. Children defiantly say: “I am not going to be like my parents when I grow up!” And then we spend the second half of our lives realizing how strikingly the same we are.

Boys marry women like their own mother. Girls marry boys like their own fathers. We raise our children like our parents raised us. Heck, I can see how I am training my dog Apollo like my parents raised me: in some ways I am strict with him, but in other ways I am sweet with him, and in some ways, he ends up in the doghouse (just like I did as a kid). Thanks, mom and dad – you taught me well!

This point about sharing the same flesh and blood can help us understand today’s gospel and today’s feast of Corpus Christi a little better. How so? Well, Jesus repeats several times in John 6 that we must eat his Flesh and drink his Blood. Now, Jesus is not talking about cannibalism. He does not want us to take a bite out of his arm. Rather, he means that he wants us to share his Flesh and Blood, like how I share my parents’ flesh and blood. How do we do that? Well, when we consume Jesus in Holy Communion, the Body and Blood of Christ, we share in his Flesh and Blood.

Now, sharing in Jesus’ Flesh and Blood has two rather remarkable consequences. First, as I said, it makes us more like him. Just like those priests at the retreat and Archbishop Sartain noticed how I am like my family with whom I share flesh and blood (my smile, my laughter, my good-looks), so the Body and Blood of Christ make me and you more like Jesus. We share in his goodness and grace.

But this transformation of a Christian into another Christ does not happen overnight or after receiving only one Holy Communion. Just like it took years for my parents to pound virtue into me and shake all the vices out of me – and this process is far from over! – so, too, each time I come up to Communion, I begin to think, feel, love, and act more like Christ, little by little.

Have you heard of that prayer called “Anima Christi”? It describes this slow spiritual change at every Communion. It goes: “Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O Good Jesus, hear me.” That eloquent prayer is a perfect summary of all Eucharistic theology, that is, by Communion we become another Christ.

The second consequence of sharing Jesus’ Flesh and Blood is the hope of living forever. How will that work? Well, Jesus said in the gospel, “Whoever eats this bread” – that is, Jesus’ Flesh – “will live forever.” But why should receiving Communion help us to live forever? Just like Jesus’ own Flesh and Blood, his physical Body, rose from the grave three days after his death, so our bodies which share in Jesus’ Flesh and Blood, will rise from the grave, too.

Now, here is the crucial point: the Flesh and Blood we receive in Holy Communion is not Jesus’ Flesh and Blood he had during his 33 years of earthly life. That would indeed be cannibalism. We do not eat Jesus’ earthly flesh and drink his earthly blood. Rather, in Communion we partake in Jesus’ resurrected, glorified, and heavenly Flesh and Blood of Jesus. Did you catch that?

It is because we share in Jesus’ heavenly Flesh and Blood that our own poor flesh and blood might rise and life forever. I smile like my mom because I share in her flesh and blood. In like manner, my body will rise from the dead – it will not stay six feet under, pushing up daisies – but will live forever because by receiving Holy Communion, I share in Jesus’ glorious, risen Flesh and Blood. And that should make us all smile as beautifully as my mother.

My friends, I know this is some deep and heady Eucharistic theology. Not sorry about that. But this is the real reason we are all Catholic: we want to live forever! And the guarantee of that eternal life is Jesus, “the first-born from the dead’ as St. Paul said in Col 1:18. Notice Paul said “first-born” suggesting there will be a second-born, and a third-born, a thousandth-born, and a millionth-born, etc.

And this is why the Church teaches we should never miss Mass. Why not? Because Holy Communion makes us more like Christ as we gradually grow in holiness. We become good like he is good. And Communion gives us hope to live forever like Christ lives forever in heaven. And all this is possible only if we share in Jesus’ Flesh and Blood.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

 

Rocking Chair Priests

Being inspired by the young clergy of Little Rock

06/10/2023

Mk 12:38-44 In the course of his teaching Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation." He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood."

This past week the priests of our diocese were on retreat at Subiaco Monastery. We had a really wise, kind, and loving retreat director, Msgr. Jerry McCarthy, from Tucson, AZ. He shared stories of his 51 years as a priest with us, and we learned a lot. But I was equally inspired by the priests and one deacon who celebrated the daily Masses.

There is no tougher congregation than a chapel full of priests to preach too, they are tougher than teeangers. And what was even more impressive was these priest celebrants were newly ordained. So you can imagine how nervous they felt. I like the analogy: they were more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. And some of our older priests spend a lot of time in rocking chairs.

Another surprising thing is that each day, we had rather lengthy readings from the Old Testament book of Tobit (like this morning). And each priest or deacon focused their homily topic on Tobit. Let me share a little of the wisdom that these neophyte priests shared with us rocking chair priests. On Tuesday, Fr. John Paul Hartnedy talked about how the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus in speech so they could condemn and kill him.

But even though they could not see Jesus’ goodness because they are spiritually blind, our Lord is able to see some goodness in them. Tobit, too, though blind, could see the spiritually good in others. Fr. John Paul’s point was that we, too, need to see the good in others, and try not to be blind to their gifts and talents. And Fr. John Paul preached all that without any notes.

On Wednesday, newly ordained Fr. Nathan Ashburn gave a beautiful reflection on accepting abuse and persecution for the faith. He explained how just as Tobit and Sarah were ridiculed and suffered because of the harsh and unfair judgments of others, so, we might, too, as priests suffer for our faith. But we should persevere and be faithful to our vocations. By the way, I was astonished at the wisdom I was hearing from priests who had been ordained less than a month.

On Thursday, it was our newly ordained deacon, Cody Eveld’s turn to step up to the plate and take a crack at preaching to us rocking chair priests. And Dc. Cody hit it out of the park. Again, zeroing in on the book of Tobit, Dc. Cody explained how young Tobiah accepted Sarah as his wife, even though he knew she had imperfections and weaknesses.

Heck, her seven previous husbands had died on their honeymoon night before they touched her. In the same way, we priests choose to marry the Church, knowing that she, too, has weaknesses and faults. But, he added at the end, that the bigger miracle is not that we priests choose the Church, but that the Church also chooses to marry us priests who are weak.

I could have sworn I heard the mic drop and hit the floor as Dc. Cody walked away from the pulpit. By the way, all us priests congratulated Fr. Jon Miskin, who celebrated the Mass, for a great homily, like people at our parishes mistakenly thank priests for a great homily after Mass, even though it was the deacon who had preached.

Finally, on Friday, another newly ordained priest, but with a few years under his collar, Fr. Alex Smith, preached the Good Word. His message was simple but heartfelt. He said we had enjoyed deep priestly fraternity during the retreat, and we should continue to pray for each other and support each other even after we leave.

He said it can be tough and lonely being a priest in a diocese that is spread out over the whole state, so reach out to each other and support each other, and especially pray for each other. Just like Tobit experienced great joy in his reunion with his son Tobiah, may we priests always look forward to our reunions and retreats.

Can you see why I was so impressed with the young clergy in our diocese? These young, joyful, handsome, intelligent, strong, loving men of God love Jesus and they love you, the people of God. They are ready to preach the Good News as St. Paul urged his protégé, St. Timothy: “Preach the Word: be prepared in season and out of season: correct, rebuke, and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Tm 4:2).

And to see their joyful spirit and unflagging enthusiasm was as much a part of the retreat as anything else I experienced last week. The Diocese of Little Rock is in good priestly hands, says the rocking chair priest.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

 

Flesh and Blood

Seeing how Jesus’ flesh and blood gives us eternal life

06/10/2023

Jn 6:51-58 Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

The older I get – I turn 54 this year – the more I see the similarities I share with my parents. This past week at the priests’ retreat one priest mentioned that I look a lot like my dad. My dad is a good-looking dude. Another priest remarked that I smile exactly like my mother, and she has a gorgeous smile. Many years ago Archbishop Sartain observed that I laugh just like my older brother, Paul. At first I reacted strongly denying it, like Peter in the courtyard of the high priest, “I know not the man!” I mean, what could be good about being like my older brother?

Most of us spend the first half our lives in denial of the obvious ways we are like our family of origin, those with whom we share flesh and blood. Children defiantly say: “I am not going to be like my parents when I grow up!” And then we spend the second half of our lives realizing how strikingly the same we are.

Boys marry women like their own mother. Girls marry boys like their own fathers. We raise our children like our parents raised us. Heck, I can see how I am training my dog Apollo like my parents raised me: in some ways I am strict with him, but in other ways I am sweet with him, and in some ways, he ends up in the doghouse (just like I did as a kid). Thanks, mom and dad – you taught me well!

This point about sharing the same flesh and blood can help us understand today’s gospel and today’s feast of Corpus Christi a little better. How so? Well, Jesus repeats several times in John 6 that we must eat his Flesh and drink his Blood. Now, Jesus is not talking about cannibalism. He does not want us to take a bite out of his arm. Rather, he means that he wants us to share his Flesh and Blood, like how I share my parents’ flesh and blood. How do we do that? Well, when we consume Jesus in Holy Communion, the Body and Blood of Christ, we share in his Flesh and Blood.

Now, sharing in Jesus’ Flesh and Blood has two rather remarkable consequences. First, as I said, it makes us more like him. Just like those priests at the retreat and Archbishop Sartain noticed how I am like my family with whom I share flesh and blood (my smile, my laughter, my good-looks), so the Body and Blood of Christ make me and you more like Jesus. We share in his goodness and grace.

But this transformation of a Christian into another Christ does not happen overnight or after receiving only one Holy Communion. Just like it took years for my parents to pound virtue into me and shake all the vices out of me – and this process is far from over! – so, too, each time I come up to Communion, I begin to think, feel, love, and act more like Christ, little by little.

Have you heard of that prayer called “Anima Christi”? It describes this slow spiritual change at every Communion. It goes: “Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O Good Jesus, hear me.” That eloquent prayer is a perfect summary of all Eucharistic theology, that is, by Communion we become another Christ.

The second consequence of sharing Jesus’ Flesh and Blood is the hope of living forever. How will that work? Well, Jesus said in the gospel, “Whoever eats this bread” – that is, Jesus’ Flesh – “will live forever.” But why should receiving Communion help us to live forever? Just like Jesus’ own Flesh and Blood, his physical Body, rose from the grave three days after his death, so our bodies which share in Jesus’ Flesh and Blood, will rise from the grave, too.

Now, here is the crucial point: the Flesh and Blood we receive in Holy Communion is not Jesus’ Flesh and Blood he had during his 33 years of earthly life. That would indeed be cannibalism. We do not eat Jesus’ earthly flesh and drink his earthly blood. Rather, in Communion we partake in Jesus’ resurrected, glorified, and heavenly Flesh and Blood of Jesus. Did you catch that?

It is because we share in Jesus’ heavenly Flesh and Blood that our own poor flesh and blood might rise and life forever. I smile like my mom because I share in her flesh and blood. In like manner, my body will rise from the dead – it will not stay six feet under, pushing up daisies – but will live forever because by receiving Holy Communion, I share in Jesus’ glorious, risen Flesh and Blood. And that should make us all smile as beautifully as my mother.

My friends, I know this is some deep and heady Eucharistic theology. Not sorry about that. But this is the real reason we are all Catholic: we want to live forever! And the guarantee of that eternal life is Jesus, “the first-born from the dead’ as St. Paul said in Col 1:18. Notice Paul said “first-born” suggesting there will be a second-born, and a third-born, a thousandth-born, and a millionth-born, etc.

And this is why the Church teaches we should never miss Mass. Why not? Because Holy Communion makes us more like Christ as we gradually grow in holiness. We become good like he is good. And Communion gives us hope to live forever like Christ lives forever in heaven. And all this is possible only if we share in Jesus’ Flesh and Blood.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

 

Lengthened Shadow

Paying tribute to Sharon Blentlinger’s legacy as principal

06/04/2023

Jn 3:16-18 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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said that “Institutions are the lengthened shadows of one man.” Now, if Emerson had attended Immaculate Conception School, he would have changed that to say: “Institutions are the lengthened shadows of one woman”, namely Mrs. Sharon Blentlinger. This weekend I would like to acknowledge the tremendous contribution that Sharon, our retiring school principal, has made in our school, and in the lives of countless families. Many people have found shade – meaning, comfort, welcome, love, wisdom, laughter – in Sharon’s lengthened shadow.

Sharon, or Mrs. B as she is affectionately known, has served our school for 45 years: as 37 as principal and 8 as a teacher. I have only been here for the past 10 years, and have not known Sharon most of those years. So I asked those who have known her much longer to share some of their stories about her. Through their eyes, we can see how far her shadow has stretched.

Anabel Garcia, who runs the school cafeteria remembered: “My life has had its ups and downs, Sharon is always willing to help turn the down part of life right side up. She has been there for me through my aunt and uncle’s cancer battles, birth of my nephew, and the passing of my grandmother.” In other words, Sharon’s love of her students and staff does not end on the school steps, but extended into their hearts, homes, and even hospitals.

Cindy Robertson, an IC teacher seconded that sentiment saying: “Sharon has been to or been a part of so many baptisms, first reconciliations, first Communions, weddings, birthday celebrations, anniversary parties, and funerals. Her presence showed her love, faithfulness and dedication to her school family.” Woody Allen once said that “80% of success in life is just showing up,” and part of Mrs. B success has been to show up at all the big and small events.

Another aspect of Sharon’s leadership that shines brightly is her welcoming heart. You don’t just feel like you’re coming to school every day, you feel like you’re coming home. Monica Dickerson, who works at the school with marketing and development, shared: “My family and I moved here in 2007, I was pregnant with Rylee and Cooper was starting 1st grade. We knew no one here. IC was recommended to us for the best private school in town.”

Monica continued: “Mrs. B welcomed us with open arms. I was that mom who volunteered for everything so I really got to know Mrs. B. She talked me into joining the festival committee. Here I am 13 years later still doing festival, and now a full-time employee. I have learned so much from her.” In other words, Sharon not only casts a long shadow, she teaches others how to as well. Emerson once said: “Institutions are the lengthened shadow of one woman.”

The first person to recognize Sharon’s remarkable skills as an educator was Msgr. William Galvin, our former pastor. Lona Seiter, Sharon’s mother, remembered how Galvin and Blentlinger became a dynamic duo at IC. School. Lona said: “A couple of years before she became principal, Msgr. Galvin said to her, ‘Sharon, we will not have nuns to be principal in a few years and I want you to get your administrative degree so you can be the principal.

“So Sharon commuted back and forth to the U of A at night, and in the summer she and the three little ones lived in Fayetteville so she could get her degree. Msgr. Galvin was her mentor and confidant.” Lona continued: “A story I remember is Msgr. Galvin would have her come to the rectory I think almost every Friday after school while he relaxed with a tody (Charter 10).

“He would have her relate how the week went and offer her advice and counsel. She learned from the best as he was principal at Catholic High for many years. Another incident I remember is when Sharon would come back to school at night to work. And when Msgr. would see light on in the school, he would come to check on her. He didn’t like her to be in that big building by herself.” If someone brought me Charter 10, I would talk to them all night, too.

Galvin and Blentlinger were a great team. Galvin served as pastor for 30 years, and his name became synonymous with Immaculate Conception Church. In the same way, Mrs. B’s name has become synonymous with I.C. School. You cannot think about one without immediately thinking of the other. It is not coincidence that the school is located on “B Street”, which really stands for “Mrs. B Street.” You might have noticed that the stretch of 13th Street in front of the church is called “Galvin Way.” Both their shadows still stretch over the church and school, and always will.

Sharon has had a lot of highlights in her career at I.C. School, but close to the top of that long list has to be the honor of being designated a National Blue Ribbon School in 2013. That is, IC students achieved an “exemplary high performing” designation, meaning their reading/English language arts and mathematics test scores ranked among the top 15% in the state. Monica Dickerson’s family was not misled when someone told her “IC is the best private school in town.” High academic achievement is one part of that lengthened shadow that Mrs. B has cast for 45 years.

Today is Trinity Sunday, when we recognize the mysterious fact that our God is a Holy Trinity, three Persons and yet one God. And the best analogy for the Holy Trinity is a family, where there are several persons but one family. Sharon Blentlinger has created a beautiful, loving, and caring family at IC School, and not only educated thousands of children, but also given them a glimpse of the Holy Trinity, every time they walk into school.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

 

Peace and Concord

Following the Holy Spirit in working for peace and unity

05/28/2023

Jn 20:19-23 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

We all desire more unity and peace in our family, in our country, and throughout the world. But sometimes it is easier to be in sync with our dog than with our own spouse. My dog Apollo and I do almost everything together, and feel very in sync. We exercise by walking and running together; we eat our meals at the same time; we even take naps in the afternoon together.

There is an old saying: “A holy pastor wakes up at 4 o’clock...twice a day.” And that goes for a holy pastor's dog, too. Our secretary, Pam, saw me and Apollo walking across the church parking lot one day, and commented: “You both even dress alike: brown, black, and white.”

On the other hand, it can be challenging to feel in sync with your own spouse. Someone sent me this Pickles cartoon strip last week. A woman is sitting on the sofa knitting and her husband is standing behind the sofa watching her. He asks: “What is that you’re knitting?” The woman answers coldly: “I am not knitting anything. I am crocheting.”

She continues: “Knitting uses needles to form loops from one needle to the other. Crocheting uses a single hook to hook the loops together.” The man answers: “You make it very hard for me to pretend I am interested in what you’re doing.” By the way, there is a dog on the couch next to the woman in the cartoon, whom the lady seems quite pleased with.

Our Scripture readings today also speak about unity and peace – how to be spiritually in sync with each other – but they also insist that only the Holy Spirit can achieve true peace among people. In Acts 2, the episode of Pentecost, it is the Holy Spirit that causes strangers from all over the world to be able to understand the apostles when they speak. They hear in sync.

In the second reading from 1 Corinthians 12, St. Paul explains that the Holy Spirit – like the conductor of a symphony – makes the members of the Church work in sync because, “there are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit.” And in the gospel Jesus breathes on the apostles and gives them his own Spirit – literally his “ruah” (in Hebrew) or breath – so they might work as one for the salvation of the world. The apostles are so closely united they breathe in sync.

In other words, the first and fundamental function of the Holy Spirit is to unite in peace and concord all humanity. And this oneness is modeled by the Church, oneness is one of the four marks of the Church. And this should not surprise us because the first and fundamental function of the Devil is to divide and conquer us.

The English word Devil even derives from the Greek verb “diaballein” which means to tear apart or scatter. In other words, the work of the Holy Spirit and the work of the evil spirit are diametrically opposed. The first produces the peace like I feel with Apollo; the second produces the discord like that Pickles carton depicted.

Besides Pentecost, this weekend we also celebrate Memorial Day. And if we look closely we can see a beautiful coincidence and connection between these two celebrations, that is, they both foster peace and concord. How so? Well, Memorial Day is when we honor our fallen soldiers who died in the service of our country.

But did you know that there used to be a department of the U.S. government called the Department of War? It was headed by the Secretary of War. But now it is called the Department of Defense and is headed by the Secretary of Defense. Why? Well, because the primary purpose of our military is not so much to wage war but to maintain the peace.

This point about maintaining peace comes out even more forcefully when we examine the origins of Memorial Day itself. Many U.S. cities claim to have started the practice of honoring soldiers by decorating national cemeteries. But in 2022 the National Cemetery Administration, a division of the Department of Veterans Affairs credited Mary Ann Williams with originating the idea of strewing flowers on the graves of Civil War soldiers.

In other words, Mary Ann Williams prayed that these Civil War soldiers (both Union and Confederate), who tried to kill each other in this life, might be friends and at peace in the next life. Promoting peace was the original idea behind Memorial Day, and that was the original idea behind Pentecost, too. And thus it seems very fitting we celebrate both on the same weekend.

My least favorite of John Lennon’s songs is also one of his most popular songs, namely, “Imagine.” I'm sure you have heard it. In the song he gets the answer right but for the wrong reasons. He sings, “Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can, No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man. Imagine all the people, Sharing all the world.”

Now, that is the right answer, but then he gives the wrong reasons, saying, “Imagine there’s no heaven, and no religion, too.” In other words, Lennon also wants humanity to be in sync but without the help of the Holy Spirit. That is like that Pickles cartoon where the man was merely pretending to be interested in his wife’s crocheting. Lennon’s peace is only a pretend peace.

My friends, this weekend try to promote peace and unity wherever you are, especially in your own family. Pray for the U.S. Department of Defense that they are able to maintain peace in the world. And pray for the Church to be guided by the Holy Spirit and be a model of peace and concord for the world. The Holy Spirit causes peace and concord; the Devil divides and conquers.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

 

At the Fountainhead

Learning to love Jesus first and foremost

05/26/2023

Jn 21:15-19 After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." He then said to Simon Peter a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me.”

Yesterday, May 25, I celebrated my 27th ordination anniversary as a priest. And I want to tell you why I decided to become a priest. When I was in 8th grade there was this beautiful little blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl who I had a huge crush on. Finally, one day I mustered enough courage to ask her out on a date, but she said she wasn’t interested.

So, I figured what else can I do, I might as well become a priest! No, just kidding! That is not why I decided to become a priest, but that is what a lot of people think, right? Priests are basically men who lost out on love. No pretty girl would marry them, so they had no choice but to become priests.

But that is an absolute distortion of the truth about priests. We are not men who lost at love, but rather guys who have experienced the greatest romance possible, namely, falling in love with Jesus. There is a beautiful quotation by St. Augustine floating around on the internet that says: “To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him is the greatest adventure; and to find him is the greatest human achievement.”

I am not really sure St. Augustine actually said that, but if it’s on the internet it must be true, right?? Regardless of who said it, the sentiment it conveys is still true. Real romance is the love of God, where we sort of cut out the middle man – or in the case of priests, the middle woman – who filters God’s love to us, and go straight to the source of Love.

Listen to this lengthy quotation by C. S. Lewis, who compared God’s love to all other forms of love and pleasures. He wrote: “The faint, far off results of those energies which God’s creative rapture implanted in matter when he made the worlds are what we now call physical pleasures; and even thus filtered they are too much for our present management.”

Lewis goes on and gets to his main point: “What would it be to taste at the fountainhead that stream of which even these lower reaches prove so intoxicating?” If I can give you a little homework for the summer, read C. S. Lewis essay called “The Weight of Glory.” But in any case, Lewis touches on the real reason I became a priest, namely, having fallen in love with Jesus. In other words, priests are not men who have lost at love; they have discovered love “at the fountainhead” and therefore are no longer content with love at “these lower reaches.”

In the gospel today, Jesus is testing Peter to see if he has discovered the best reason to become a priest. And so our Lord asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” because a priest is ultimately a man in love. And Peter replies, “Yes, Lord, I love you.” But the really critical part of Jesus question is the phrase, “more than these.”

That is, Jesus is asking Peter if he wants to taste love “at the fountainhead’ and not be content with its “lower reaches.” Can Peter sort of cut out the middle man of love and go straight to the source, namely, Jesus himself? And finally Peter must concede that only Jesus knows if Peter can love Jesus that much. And so he adds, “Love, you know everything; you know that I love you.”

Boys and girls, you will fall in love with many things and with many people in your life. You may love to run track like Isaac Pohlmeier. You may love to play volleyball like Izzie Antony. You may love to read the Bible like Oscar Burney. You may love the book “Jayber Crow” like Mr. Rocha. You may even love Latin like Fr. Antony. Okay, no one loves Latin except Fr. Antony.

And maybe you have fallen in love with some pretty blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girl in school like I did. Perhaps one day you will get married to that blonde-haired, blue eyed girl. And then you might get divorced from that blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl, thinking that marriage was a mistake. But I will get it right the next time: I will marry a brunette!

But let me tell you a little secret: all these loves – for running, for volleyball, and Jayber Crow, and human love – are all still the “lower reaches” of love. They are merely the appetizer for the main course of love which is the love of God. But like lots of people do (myself included), we stuff ourselves on the appetizer and we lose our taste for the main course.

In other words, Jesus is not only asking Peter or priests, “Do you love me more than these?” He asks that same question of all of us. That is, do you love Jesus “more than these”, these other loves at “the lower reaches” and desire instead to taste love “at the fountainhead”?

Sooner or later we will discover that our entire earthly life has been simply a preview of coming attractions. It doesn’t mean we cannot love these other things or these other people. It just means we have to love Jesus “more than these.” Jesus asks all of us: “Do you love me more than these?”

Praised be Jesus Christ!