Water and Tears

Entering into the on-going conversion of Christian life

12/10/2017

Mark 1:1-8 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths." John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: "One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

           An elderly priest was speaking to his young associate priest and said: “You had a good idea to replace the first four pews with plush bucket theater seats. It worked like a charm. The front of the church always fills up first now.” The young priest nodded, the old priest continued: “And you told me adding a little more beat to the music would bring young people back to church, so I supported you when you brought in that rock and roll gospel choir. Now, our services are consistently packed to the balcony.” The young priest said: “Thank you, Father.” The elderly priest added, “But I’m afraid you’ve gone too far with the drive-thru confessional.” The young priest protested: “But Father, my confessions and the donations have nearly doubled since I began that!” “Yes,” replied the elderly priest, “And I appreciate that. But the flashing neon sign that reads, “Toot and Tell or Go to Hell” cannot stay on the church roof.”

             That young priest needed to work on his delivery a little bit, but his heart was in the right place. That is, confession forms a critical part of the Christian life, which is a life of on-going conversion, in order to become more like Christ. In other words, it’s never just “one-and-done” for a follower of Christ, but rather we must relentlessly beginning again and again. The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts that young priest’s sentiments into more profound parlance, saying: “Christ’s call to conversion continues to resound in the lives of Christians. The second conversion (italics in the original) is an uninterrupted task for the whole Church.” Then the Catechism includes this stupendous saying from St. Ambrose, adding: “St. Ambrose says of the two conversions that, in the Church, ‘there are water and tears: the water of Baptism and the tears of repentance’” (Catechism, 1429). In other words, confession is like a second baptism, but in this case the holy water is not flowing from a fountain, but the holy water is flowing from the eyes, signaling sorrow, contrition and conversion. You gotta admit: “water and tears” sounds a little better than “toot and tell.”

             In the gospel today, St. John the Baptist appears in the desert; he is the precursor of Jesus, but he is also the precursor of that young priest. Why? Well, because John the Baptist comes preaching two things: baptism and repentance, that is, “water and tears.” Listen to how he distinguishes his own ministry from the ministry of Jesus, he says: “I have baptized you with water; he (meaning Jesus) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” In other words, John will baptize with water, but Jesus will baptize with fire, with the fire of the Holy Spirit, that fire that fuels the second conversion, that on-going purification that takes our whole life. And what conversion we don’t finish in this life, will be our homework when we face the fires of Purgatory in the next life. But it will be the same fire of the Holy Spirit that cleanses us there as it does here. Toot and tell, water and tears, baptism by fire of the Holy Spirit, all these things indicate on-going conversion of the Christian to be more like Christ.

             I’m very grateful to Fr. Matt Garrison and Fr. Peter Le for the opportunity to celebrate Masses here this weekend and speak about Trinity Junior High, and ask your help in a second collection. There are so many things I could say about how wonderful Trinity Junior High is, but I just want to highlight one thing, namely, Trinity students have to go to confession twice a year, in Advent and in Lent. And I gotta tell you, I’m never more proud of them than when they go to confession. That may sound like an oxymoron: why be proud of someone when they confess their sins and stupidity?? But how proud and pleased was the father of the prodigal son in Luke 15, who ran to meet him and hugged him and dressed him in royal robes before the young man could even utter his confession? Multiply that by a million and you get a glimpse of how pleased God the Father is when we go to confession. Why? Well, it’s simple: that is when we are experiencing the second baptism, the holy water of tears, the fire of the Holy Spirit purifying our hard hearts of pride and lust, of laziness and vanity, of greed and gluttony, of envy and jealousy and anger.

              Here’s the really beautiful thing, though, about Trinity. We welcome students of all religious traditions to our school, and even those who may profess no faith at all and don’t believe in God. But sometimes even those students who are not Catholic feel the need to tell someone about something weighing on their hearts. That desire, too, is prompted by the “fire of the Holy Spirit,” and they, too, want to “toot and tell.” In other words, confession is not some exclusive property of Catholics, but rather a healthy part of any honest and genuine spiritual life. No wonder the “confession of sins” is the fifth step of the twelve-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. That step states: “Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” Trinity students are not alcoholics, but they go to confession because it is simply sound spirituality, healthy for the human heart. I would be remiss if I didn’t add we’re blessed with three Catholic elementary schools – Immaculate Conception, St. Boniface and Christ the King – where this same baptism by the Spirit occurs because they, too, have to go to confession.

              As we enter more deeply into the Advent season, remember that it is never simply “one-and-done” for Catholic Christians. One baptism is not enough. Yes we are baptized with water at our birth, but we must also be baptized with tears in a second conversion, a conversion that takes the rest of our lives.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

All Generations

Loving Mother Mary because she is absolutely lovable

12/8/2017

Luke 1:26-38 The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.

         Today, I want to tell you why all Catholics love Mother Mary: why we pray the Rosary, why we walk in processions with her, why we name churches for her, why we name our daughters “Mary” and “Maria,” and why no Catholic church is without at least one statue or painting of her. Mary even predicted in Luke 1:48, that “all generations would call me blessed,” that is, from the age of the apostles to the aborigines in Australia, absolutely all Catholics love Mary. Why?

           Well, there are two basic reasons. The first is because Mary is our spiritual mother, and everyone loves their mother, right? Raise your hand if you love your mother; I’ll raise both my hands because I really love my mother. I recently came across two definitions of “mother,” the first a little silly and the second a little more serious. The first definition read: “A mother is a person who does the work of twenty. For free.” And then it said below: “See also, masochist, loony and saint,” meaning all moms feel that way at times, too: masochistic, loony and saintly. The more serious definition read: “A mother is a person who loves unconditionally; a character builder and heart healer; the maker and keeper of wonderful memories; a person much loved and greatly admired.” Raise your hand if that describes your mom. Mine, too. That’s the first reason Catholics love Mary: those two definitions fit Mary to a “T” because she loves us like that on a spiritual plane, as a spiritual mother.  Catholics love our Mother Mary.

             The second reason we love Mary is based on the feast we celebrate today, the Immaculate Conception. What does that mean? It means that Mary was “immaculate,” without stain of sin, from her conception in the womb of St. Anne, her mother. Now, let me be clear: this is not because of anything she did on her own, but rather because of what Jesus would do on the Cross. In other words, the Immaculate Conception was a sort of “retroactive grace” that saved Mary before Jesus was even born. When you’re God, living in eternity, you can do things outside the normal sequence of time and history.  It’s good to be God!

            You might be thinking: big deal! Who cares if you’re immaculately conceived? Well, here’s the big deal and why this matters: sin has a sort of double-whammy effect: sin makes it hard for you to love others and sin makes it hard for others to love you (you become less loving and less lovable). That’s why sin is so bad: it is the polar opposite of love. So, if you are sinless (like Mary), that means you are absolutely lovable: you can love others perfectly and others can love you perfectly. That’s why Mary said, “All generations will call me blessed.” I am immaculately conceived, and sinless, and therefore, I can love you and you can love me. That’s the second reason all Catholics love Mother Mary because we can love her and she can love us perfectly.

              Let me give you a taste of how “all generations will call Mary blessed,” by sharing how I pray the rosary. I pray each decade of the Rosary in a different language, and today, I would like you to hear the Hail Mary in five languages: Greek, Latin, Spanish, French and Malayalam.

            First Greek: “Χαίρε Μαρία, κεχαριτωμένη, ó Κύριος είναι μετά Σου, ευλογημένη Εσύ μεταξύ των γυναικών, και ευλογημένος ο καρπός της κοιλίας Σου, ó Ιησούς. Αγία Μαρία, Θεοτόκε, παρακαλει για μας τους αμαρτωλούς, τώρα και στην ώρα του θανάτου μας. Ααμήν.”  That’s how Greek Catholics love Mary.

             Second, Latin: “Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.”  That’s how Catholics in the Roman Empire loved Mary.

Third, Spanish: “Dios te salve, Maria. Llena eres de gracia: El Seńor es contigo. Bendita tú eres entre todas las mujeres. Y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre: Jesús. Santa María, Madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros pecadores, ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte. Amén.”  That’s how Catholics in Mexico love Mary.

              Fourth, French: “Je vous salue, Marie, pleine de grâces, le Seigneur est avec vous; vous ętes bénie entre toutes les femmes, et Jésus le fruit de vos entrailles, est béni. Sainte Marie, Mere de Dieu, priez pour nous pécheurs, maintenant, et a l'heure de notre mort. Amen.”  That’s how Catholics in France love Mary.

                Fifth, Malayalam: “Nanma Niranja Mariyamme, Swasthi. Karthaavu Angayodu koode, Sthreekalil Angu Anugrahikka pettaval aakunu. Angayude Udharathin Bhalamaaya Eesho nugrahakkipettavan aakunu. Parishudha Mariyame, Thamburante Amme, Papikalaaya Njangalkku Vendi, Epozhum Njangalude Marana Samayathum Thamburanodu Apeshikaname. Amen.”  That’s how Catholics in India love Mary.

            Now you know what it sounds like when “all generations call Mary blessed,” she who is immaculately conceived and therefore absolutely lovable.  That’s why all Catholics love Mary.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Justice League

Living in a society of possible gods and goddesses

12/07/2017

Matthew 7:21, 24-27 Jesus said to his disciples: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. "Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.  The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house.  And it collapsed and was completely ruined."

       I love a good superhero action movie, like Superman or Batman, or Wonder Woman. But what I have never understood is why you need more than one superhero to save the world, like in the recent movie, “Justice League,” which teams up five superheroes. Clearly, Superman can defeat mankind’s enemies single-handedly, and so can Batman and so could Wonder Woman. So, doesn’t it seem like overkill to have a movie like “Justice League” where we need Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman to save the world? These are the things I stay up late ruminating on and cause me to lose sleep.

        And I’m not alone. Do you recall that memorable dialogue between Hurley and Charlie in the television series LOST where they argue over who’s faster, Flash or Superman? Charlie states: “You’re insane mate, Superman can fly around the plant in the blink of an eye!” Hurley retorts: “Dude, if we’re going by a pure footrace, Superman would get dusted by the Flash.” Charlie counters: “Well, why would the Man of Steel agree to a sodding footrace?” To which Hurley matter-of-factly answers: “Uh, for charity, and Flash would totally win, cause he can vibrate through walls and stuff.” How can you argue with logic like that? Nevertheless, the one question superhero movies never address is: Why do you need more than one superhero? Isn’t Superman enough? People like me (and Hurley and Charlie) just instinctively answer: the more the merrier.

          Today is the feast of St. Ambrose, the holy and wise bishop of Milan, Italy. And we might pose the same question to our Catholic faith: isn’t one saint enough, or to raise the stakes even higher, we could probe: isn’t Jesus Christ enough to save mankind? Indeed, I would suggest to you that this question is precisely what lurks behind many Protestant objections to Catholicism. Why more than one Superhero, namely, Jesus Christ? Why do Catholics insist on the veneration of Mary and the Saints? Well, to be sure, Jesus’ work of salvation is alone sufficient and enough. But like a master painter does not stop with one masterpiece, but displays his genius in countless works of art, so Jesus’ grace and glory are displayed in countless masterpieces called the saints up and down the centuries. Or to change the metaphor: just like we see how beautiful light is when it is refracted through a prism, emitting a rainbow of colors, so the saints refract the love of Jesus in every age. You can love the Lord more when you see his legacy in the life of his saints.

           St. Ambrose lived between 340 and 397 AD, but like the Justice League, he was surrounded by other superhero saints. Ambrose taught and mentored St. Augustine (one of the greatest minds of the Church), Ambrose counseled and comforted St. Monica (Augustine’s mother), Ambrose debated with St. Jerome, the fiery translator of the Bible. And it’s not any different today, because we are surrounded with spiritual superheroes like St. Teresa of Calcutta, Pope St. John XXIII, Pope St. John Paul II, and Blessed Stanley Rother. We might ask: why all these saints? Isn’t this a little overkill? Isn’t Jesus enough to defeat all the enemies of mankind? Indeed he is. But deep down Christians instinctively know it is precisely Christ’s glory and greatness that’s refracted in the lives of his saints; and the more the merrier.

          By the way, I am convinced that C. S. Lewis must have been a superhero action movie fan, too, when he wrote his famous essay, “The Weight of Glory.” He said: “It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare.” My friends, it is not only in the movies that we meet superheroes; they are all around us, if only we had the eyes of faith to see them. Then, we, too, might say, the more the merrier.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Look, Deer!

Giving our full attention to God and getting to heaven

12/03/2017

Mark 13:33-37 Jesus said to his disciples: "Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his own work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. Watch, therefore; you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: 'Watch!'"

         Look, deer! Have you ever used that trick to distract your children when they are being quarrelsome? I’ve done that as a joke while driving my nieces to school and I point out the window and yell, “Look, deer!” They stop fighting and arguing because another novelty has grabbed their attention. How hard it is to truly get someone’s full attention today with all our daily distractions.

          Young people often have one “ear-bud” in their ear, while the other one hangs limp over their shoulder, meaning they’re giving you only half their attention (if that much!). Marketing experts say a customer has to hear your message at least seven times before they’ll remember it. Why? Well, because people are bombarded with advertisements and we’ve grown deaf to them. That’s why television commercials have louder volume than the television shows, because the commercials are yelling, “Look, deer!” to get us to look at their products instead of others. Our attention is a precious gift and we should give it fully to those whom we love, but everyone clamors for it.

          Let me share three ways to get people’s attention, spiritually-speaking, namely, by silence, solitude and suffering, and this is especially helpful during Advent. First, silence. When I say the words of consecration at Mass, I say them very slowly…and…deliberately. This…is…my…Body… The long, silent pauses peaks people’s attention better than yelling does. Second, solitude. Henry David Thoreau, the 19th century American philosopher, wrote: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived (Walden, 59). Thoreau sought solitude so he could give his full attention to nature and learn her lessons, and not be distracted. And third, suffering. C. S. Lewis, the 20th century Oxford professor, said, “Suffering is the megaphone God uses to rouse a deaf world” (The Problem of Pain, 91). Do you know some of the best times for a priest to talk to people about God? It’s when they are suffering, in the hospital, or in prison, because God has finally gotten their full and undivided attention. They’re lying in bed looking up to heaven.

          In the gospel today, Jesus is fighting the same battle to grab people’s attention, and awaken them to spiritual realities. We read: “Jesus said to his disciple, ‘Be watchful! Be alert!’ You do not know when the time will come.” And indeed, most of the people at the time of Christ did not know the Messiah was walking in their midst already, standing right next to them. Why did they miss him? Well, because they were distracted by the cares and concerns of daily life: waking and sleeping, buying and selling, marrying and divorcing, living and dying. But I would suggest to you that it was really their lack of silence, solitude and suffering kept them from giving their full attention to spiritual things. By the way, that’s precisely why St. John the Baptist hung out in the dessert: there in the dessert you find plenty of silence (no cell phone service), tons of solitude (except rattlesnakes), and untold suffering (it’s hot!). John’s whole life was designed to grab people’s attention and direct them to the Messiah, Jesus. John’s prophetic purpose, you might say, was to say to the world, “Look, deer!” But in this case, the deer was actually a Lamb, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. How hard it is to get people’s attention spiritually-speaking.

          I’m very grateful to Fr. Patrick Watikha for the chance to celebrate Masses here at Sacred Heart, and to share a little about Trinity Junior High, and ask your help in a second collection. If you want to know the toughest group of people’s attention to get, it’s 12, 13 and 14 year olds! I feel a lot like Jesus and John the Baptist and have to yell, “Look, deer!” a lot. And by the way, you guys have done a superb job here at Sacred Heart with your youth program: you’ve gotten their attention.

There are so many things I could say about the value of Trinity, but I think I can summarize it all in one sentence. The goal of Trinity Junior High is to prepare our students not only for Harvard but also for Heaven. In effect, we want to turn their attention not only to earthly success but to ultimate success by obtaining eternal life. We want to say, “Look, heaven!” We do this by helping them experience a little silence, solitude and suffering.

            This past week our students went on a retreat off campus, one class at a time. The retreat was conducted by Bryan and Karena Charlton, who have a long history of youth ministry. They inspired the students, they laughed with the students, they helped the students to sing and do skits. But they also brought them into the chapel and told them to spread out far from each other and to listen to the meditative music. In other words, they experienced a little of Henry David Thoreau’s solitude and silence, because they “front the essential facts of life” and they began to hear the voice of Jesus.

We also teach our students suffering every day because we make them wear dreaded uniforms instead of designer clothes, and they have strict rules about no cell phones, and haircuts, and clean language, and respect for teachers and adults, and they have homework, and they pray in Latin! This suffering is not going to kill them, but it is going to make their life harder. Maybe like Lewis predicted: “Suffering will be a megaphone and rouse a deaf teenager!” Our Evangelical friends like to remind us: “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” Through silence, solitude and suffering we prepare Trinity students for Harvard and for Heaven.

            Let me conclude with one of John Donne’s popular “Holy Sonnets,” a poem called “Batter my heart three person’d God.” Donne wrote: “Batter my heart, three person’d God, for you / As yet but knock, breathe, shine and seek to mend; / That I may rise and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend / Your force to break, blow, burn and make me new.” In other words, Donne was distracted by the thing of earth, and needed God to use stronger and louder means to get his attention. He needed God to yell, “Look, dear!” – spelled “d-e-a-r.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Sign Up

Understanding the sign language of God’s love

12/1/2017

Luke 21:29-33 Jesus told his disciples a parable. "Consider the fig tree and all the other trees. When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near; in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."

       When our sixth graders graduate from I.C. school, a group of them sing a song entirely in sign language. It’s fascinating to watch because they don’t utter a word, and my favorite part of the graduation. But did you know that we are speaking sign language all the time, every day? For instance, every morning, you come to school and four students use sign language to keep you safe and not get run over by a driver who’s half asleep. They hold a long pole with a flag that says “STOP.” If that pole is sticking out into the street, what does it mean? It means you may cross safely because the cars should stop. But if the students tuck the pole behind their back, what does that sign mean? It means don’t cross; the cars have the right of way. Every morning, you are reading sign language and it is keeping you safe.

         Teachers use sign language in class all the time, especially when they are frustrated and perhaps a little irritated with you. Do any teachers give you the “evil eye” when you’re in trouble? I’ve given the evil eye and received it! Or, some teachers start counting very slowly backward: three…two…one. What does that sign mean? It means “be quiet,” and “pay attention.” Good teachers use sign language and they don’t have to use words to tell you important instructions.

          Many years ago I visited with Bishop Sartain at his home in Little Rock, while he was still the bishop of our diocese. I was a priest and felt privileged to spend time with him one evening, and just talked and talked.  It was getting late, and I was enjoying our visit, but every few minutes, the bishop kept yawning. I thought he was tired, so I better talk about something really interesting to keep him awake.  But what do you think he was trying to tell me by that sign language? He was tired, but he was also gently trying to communicate that it was time to wrap up our conversation and for me to go home. Even though I was a priest, I was still learning sign language. People often tell us things without using words.

          In the gospel today, Jesus tells us that God the Father speaks to us through sign language, rather than yelling at us from the clouds. He says we already understand some signs, like those in nature. When a fig tree sprouts leaves, we know summer will come soon. Obviously, Jesus never lived in Fort Smith. But then Jesus teaches them another sign, namely, the Temple, and its destruction, will mean the end of the Old Testament world. In the year 70 A.D. General Titus, the great Roman general, leveled Jerusalem and the great Temple, and effectively brought the Jewish religion of the Old Testament to a climactic conclusion. That was also the sign that the Kingdom of God would commence, the Age of the Church. God used a sign to tell us this tremendous transition was occurring, but we have to understand sign languages. God doesn’t always speak to us through words.

         Boys and girls, today I want to teach you how to read three signs so you can improve your knowledge of “sign languages.” The first is colors in church, beautiful signs of God’s love. Today, I am wearing “green,” but it is the last day for green. What time of the church year is “green” a sign for? That is Ordinary Time. This Sunday, the priests will wear “purple,” which is a sign for the beginning of which season? That is Advent. Does anyone know what color we will use at Christmas?  I’ll give you a hint: it’s not “red,” that’s for Santa Claus. The color for Jesus’ birthday is “white.” Pay attention to the colors in church and you’ll learn an important sign language. The Church does not always teach us through words.

         The second sign is tears, a very powerful sign. When someone sheds tears and cries, what does that mean, what is it a sign of? It often means that a person is sad, like I cry if an eagle swoops down and grabs one of my chickens. But do people cry when they are happy, too? People cry at weddings because they are happy; the tears are signs of joy. I cry when people give me giftcards for Christmas, so you might see me cry, too. Watch for the sign language of tears and see if you can understand what someone is trying to tell you, even when they don’t use words.

         And third, is signs of nature, which Jesus also talked about. When the world (our planet Earth) is sick, it gives us signs that we need to take better care of it. I have a cousin who lives in New Delhi, India, and he likes to run marathons. But sometimes the pollution is so bad he cannot breathe and he has to wear a mask like doctors wear in surgery. What is that mask a sign of? It usually means that someone is sick, and in this case it is our common home, the Earth. The world doesn’t use words, so it is speaking through us through sign language.

         Bishop Sartain taught me that a yawn means I need to stop talking and go home. When you yawn in my homily, I know that means to stop talking and finish Mass. Sign language is a powerful way to communicate.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Beautiful Feet

Walking in the footsteps of Jesus carrying the Good News

11/30/2017

Matthew 4:18-22 As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.

             Do you have beautiful feet? What a strange question! But I believe it’s also a very spiritual question. How beautiful are your feet? Several years ago I was listening to a series of talks by Christopher West, a modern theologian who has popularized Pope John Paul II’s “theology of the body.” At one point West abruptly declared: “I have beautiful feet!” That got my attention. He quickly explained what he meant, adding: “Yes, I have beautiful feet. Remember how Scripture says, ‘How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news’?” (Rom. 10:15). West went on to explain effusively that the Church’s teaching on human sexuality is very good news; indeed, it is some of the best news for a world deeply confused about the meaning of sex. The world has preached a lot of “bad news,” and West was bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ.

              But I would suggest to you that you do have beautiful feet, but they may not be spiritually beautiful. What do I mean? Well, how often and how enthusiastically have we shared all kinds of “good news” without hesitation or fear of rejection? After reading a gripping novel, we rush to tell all our friends and buy them that book for Christmas; we unreservedly recommend this or that restaurant and suggest items on the menu; we tell everyone, “Man, you have to go to this concert!” or “You’d be a fool to miss this art exhibit!” In all those instances, we, too, have beautiful feet because we are convinced we are carrying good news; only it’s not the Good News of Jesus Christ. Our feet are not spiritually very pretty.

              In the gospel today, we hear the footsteps of the two most beautiful feet in human history, namely, the feet of Jesus himself. Jesus’ feet carry him to share his Good News with the first apostles, Peter and Andrew, James and John. If those four apostles had looked down to glance at the Nazarene’s feet, they would have been blown away by their beauty. Why? Well, far more important than recommending a restaurant, or reading a book, or running to an art exhibit, Jesus brought the Good News of salvation. What the world is waiting for.

              The Catechism of the Catholic Church takes us to the heart of why we should share the Good News, that is, God’s love. We read: “The Lord’s missionary mandate is ultimately grounded in the eternal love of the Most Holy Trinity…The ultimate purpose of mission is none other than to make men share in the communion between the Father and the Son and their Spirit of love (Catechism, 850). In other words, Jesus’ traversed the infinite distance between heaven and earth to share the Good News of God’s love, so we might be partakers of that love. Those beautiful feet walked a long way for love of us.

              My friends, when you get home this evening and take off your shoes, and take a moment to examine closely your feet. Those hard working feet cover a lot of ground in a given day: to work or school, to the grocery store or hauling children to piano practice or soccer games, and maybe even to a hospital or to a cemetery or maybe even to church occasionally! As you study your toes and arch and ankle, also ask: “How beautiful are my feet spiritually-speaking?” In any instance or with any encounter, did I share the Good News of Jesus Christ? I don’t mean you have to walk around with a Bible or a rosary around your neck or always post spiritual ferverinos on social media. But does your life of piety, your penance, and your personal virtue make people stop and think of Jesus? Sometimes, the most effective evangelization occurs without ever uttering one word, because your feet do the walking and the talking.

              By the way, I was looking at my own feet the other day, and I thought, “Man, I really need a pedicure – I have some ugly feet!” But if you want really beautiful feet – as beautiful as Jesus’ feet – just share the Good News with the world.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

The Death Crawl

Trusting in God’s grace with a promise of perseverance

11/29/2017

Luke 21:12-19 Jesus said to the crowd: "They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives."

             Did everyone enjoy the retreat last week at St. Michael’s? One of the most moving parts was the short video Bryan Charlton showed from the movie, “Facing the Giants.”  In the brief clip, the players doubt they will be able to defeat a rival high school called Westview, and even Brock Kelly, the team’s captain, doubts the team. That’s when Coach Grant Taylor decides to demonstrate the team’s true potential with an exercise called “the death crawl.” Coach Taylor blind folds Brock and places another player on his back and challenges him to crawl on hands and feet (no knees touching the ground) and makes him promise to give his absolute best. The whole team is dumb-founded when Brock actually carries Jeremy the whole length of the football field, 100 yards. Brock was able to do more than he believed because he promised to give his absolute best.

             Robert Browning, the 19th century Victorian poet, wrote: “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, / Or, what’s a heaven for?” (from poem “Andrea del Sarto”). In other words, always attempt more than you think you can achieve, and you just might accomplish more than you thought possible. Indeed, if you go back and watch the whole movie, you’ll see that the very underdog Shiloh Christian Eagles win the state championship that year.

            In the gospel today, Jesus sounds a lot like Coach Taylor encouraging his apostles who are about to “face their own giants.” He says: “They will seize you and persecute you, they will hand you over to synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.” But he goes on to assure them, like Coach Taylor did, that if they promise to give their very best, they will achieve more than they ever imagined. Jesus says: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives,” by which he means they’ll make it to heaven: to “secure your life” is to secure eternal life. Robert Browning wrote: “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, / Or, what’s a heaven for?” No one can attain the high hope of heaven without God’s grace and the promise of perseverance on our part, to give our very best.

            Let me suggest three areas where your reach should exceed your grasp, and where you should attempt what seems impossible. The first is in how you take care of your body. I have a friend who doesn’t believe in taking medicine for most of her aches and pains, but rather she teaches her children to eat healthy – plenty of fruits and vegetables! – because the human body has enormous potential, far greater than we often realize, just like Brock discovered he had greater strength when he carried a 160 pound man 100 yards. My nephew, Noah, who ran cross country and track at Har-Ber High School in Springdale, always said: “Your body will only perform as well as what you put into it. Eat well every day.” Noah ran on the Har-Ber track team holds the state record in the “four-x’s.” Your body can achieve more than you believe it can, but only with God’s grace and a promise of perseverance on your part, to give your very best.

            Secondly, your reach should exceed your grasp in academics. You may struggle in a certain subject, like math or history, or science or Spanish. But don’t give up on your mind and promise to persevere in your studies. Scientists universally agree that human beings only tap about 10 percent of their mind’s true brain power, which means you could do 90 percent more than what you’re achieving academically today. In high school, I hated studying French: “Sacre bleu!” I couldn’t wait to be done with it. But I’ve discovered God has given me a gift for foreign languages, like God had given Brock the gift of leadership, and now I pray the priest’s prayer book, “La Liturgie des Heures,” in French every day. Your mind has far more potential than you can imagine, and you can reach that potential only with God’s grace and a promise of perseverance on your part, to give your very best.

           Thirdly, in human relationships, especially as boyfriends and girlfriends. In the Bible, when God created the first person, Adam, he observed: “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18). But how to be “together” with another person is not so easy either; we often mess up relationships. But just like you have to learn how to take care of your body, and you have to learn a new language, so, too, you have to learn how to love others. Sometimes when a relationship fails to work out, we are tempted to say, “All boys are jerks!” or “All girls are drama queens! I’m going to be a priest!” But don’t give up on relationships; God did not create you to be alone.  Nevertheless, the great joy of a fulfilling friendship is only possible with God’s grace and a promise of perseverance on your part, to give your very best.

              St. Augustine said: “To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest  adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.” Now that’s reaching for something beyond your grasp.

Praised be Jesus Christ!