Faith Overcomes Fear

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today's Readings: Job 38:1, 8-11; Ps 107; 2 Cor 5:14-17; Mk 4:35-41 [Link to Readings]

For months now, my sister has been after me to watch a TV show that I finally got to see for the first time this past week. It’s called The Dog Whisperer. In case you haven’t heard of it, it’s kind of a reality show where an animal psychologist and expert trainer travels around the country to teach people how to deal with their problem dogs.

In the show that I saw, there was a young dog who was very scared of people, including his owner. He would shy away if you tried to touch him, and he’d cower behind the furniture unless you physically dragged him out. In short order, Cesar Millan, the star of the show, figured out what the dog’s problem was and fixed him up. It was incredible to see the transformation this dog went through—from being constantly scared to death to being upfront, confident, relaxed… and trusting his human master.

In many ways, that’s a canine version of the gospel story we heard today. Jesus and his disciples got into a boat to cross the Lake of Gennesaret. It wasn’t a big lake—maybe 14 miles long and just 3 to 7 miles wide, depending on where you were. But storms could come up quite suddenly as the winds swept down from the mountains of Lebanon. That seems to be what happened today. The disciples absolutely panicked. They were certain that the boat was going to be swamped any minute, and suddenly they realized that there was Jesus in the back of the boat, sprawled out and fast asleep on a cushion, apparently unconcerned that they were all about to die. And even though the storm didn’t wake him, the disciples did. In their hysteria, they shouted at him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re dying?” They wanted Jesus to get off that cushion and lend a hand with a bailing bucket.

But bailing out the boat wasn’t part of Jesus’ agenda. Even though the disciples expected him to jump to his feet and join the team by bailing or grabbing the oars, Jesus ignored the boat completely. Instead, he went straight to the source of the problem. He commanded the storm to subside. And the disciples couldn’t believe it!

I know that we’ve all been in stormy situations in our life when we’ve probably been tempted to yell at God, “Don’t you care that I’m dying here?” Maybe we’ve thought to ourselves: if God really exists and loves us and can calm storms and actually do anything he wants, then why is he letting this go on? Why doesn’t he care?

Well, the truth be told, it’s not that God doesn’t care. It’s just that he’s not worried about the storm. Look at Jesus in that boat. He trusted God, so he could sleep like a baby even with the storm raging and his friends panicking all around him.

So: after the disciples survived their near-death experience, and after they witnessed the miracle of the sea and sky obeying Jesus, Mark tells us that “they were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?’” The literal translation of the phrase, “filled with great awe” is that they “feared a great fear.” They were overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of what had just happened. I have the feeling that even after seeing what Jesus was capable of, the disciples still feared what this meant. Their big question wasn’t “How did he do that?” It was “Who is this person?” And that made them really afraid.

Jesus acknowledged their fear, but he suggests to them that the opposite of fear is faith. In his deep love for his flock, Jesus desperately wants his people to have the kind of faith in God that would let them sleep through a storm at sea, too. Jesus knows we all have fears, but he wants us to release those fears so we can find faith, hope and love in God. Just like the Dog Whisperer takes the fear out of his dogs, Jesus wants to take the fear out of us… and replace it with faith.

I read a wonderful acronym for the word fear: F-E-A-R: False Evidence Appearing Real. Sometimes we get so caught up in what we fear—which may or may not ever come to pass—that we can’t do anything. We become paralyzed.

The disciples thought only about dying in that boat… but it never happened!

Lots of us suffer through terrible relationships or addictions or personal problems or secrets because we’re scared that people will reject us or abandon us if they knew the real truth. Isn’t that funny? We’re afraid that the people we love and trust are going to turn on us because we have a problem. Many times—if not most times—those fears are really based on false evidence.

What’s ironic is that we think that if we give in to the fear, it’s because we’re trying to keep ourselves safe… but our fear and our desire to be safe aren’t going to protect us one whit from whatever is heading our way! Just think: all that energy spent on fear could be redirected into an empowerment to face, and maybe even enjoy, the present. That’s faith.

Faith can overcome fear. Faith overcoming fear means trusting that God loves us, has redeemed us and calls us children of God. Faith overcoming fear means depending on all the graces and blessings and resources that God makes available to us as his children. Faith overcoming fear means that even though we may not know the details of the future, we are sure of the outcome. I have another great acronym for you—for the word faith: F-A-I-T-H: Forget About Impossibilities—There’s Hope! We have hope, even in the impossible storms of life.

In time, the disciples learned to turn their fear into faith. The church is our inheritance of that faith. I saw on TV that even a scared dog can overcome his fear. So the really good news is, so can we.

When the storms of life threaten to overcome us… when the power of fear starts to overtake the power of faith… keep in mind the power of God. Amen.

Take and Eat

The Body & Blood of Christ
Today’s Readings: Ex. 24:3-8; Ps 116; Heb 9:11-15; Mk 14:12-16, 22-26 [Link to Readings]

It’s a wonderful thing that as we begin our ministry together this weekend, we celebrate two joyous occasions: the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, and Father’s Day.

To all the dads here, we offer our collective prayers and thanks. And for those who have gone home to God, we pray that the Lord will bless them abundantly and receive them into the joys of his kingdom.

Sometimes, being a dad isn’t easy. It can be downright painful.

Imagine Jesus’ own heavenly Father watching over the scene in the gospel today. It’s the time of the Last Supper—the final Passover meal Christ ate with his disciples the night before his crucifixion. The Father certainly knew the terrible pain and anguish that his beloved Son would go through over the next 24 hours.

Yet he also knew the awesome graces and blessings that would be set in motion. They would benefit the whole world for all time. And that, of course, is why we’re here 2000 years later, still celebrating this feast.

The Body and Blood of Christ is the Eucharist, or Holy Communion. Jesus’ instructions to his apostles were so simple and clear. He took bread, said “This is my body,” then gave it to them to eat. He took the cup of wine, said “This is my blood,” then passed it to them to drink. He then told them to do just what he did: “Do this in memory of me.” That’s the heart of our mass.

Over these many centuries since the Last Supper, there’s been an awful lot of debate and reflection on what this all means, and how we’re supposed to remember Christ through this holy meal. In fact, part of the sad reason why Christian people have argued and fought and split into many different churches and denominations and sects is over this very issue.

We Catholics have always been extremely biblical in our approach; in other words, we believe exactly what the Scriptures say.

Jesus said, “This is my Body… this is my Blood”—and that’s precisely what we’ve always believed. In faith, we accept that thanks to divine power, mysteriously the bread and wine become the substance of Christ’s actual flesh and blood. Our Eucharist is not just a symbol. It’s the real deal. And yet, eating and drinking it is not cannibalism. How can this be? It’s such a vast mystery that nobody has a clue.

You may remember the passage in John’s gospel where Jesus first told several hundred of his disciples that if they wanted to have life in them, they had to eat his flesh and drink his blood. Quite a few who heard this were horrified and revolted. They walked away from Christ. Do you remember the Lord’s conversation with Peter? He said, “Are you going to leave too?” Peter answered, “Where would we go, Lord? We have come to believe that you have the words of everlasting life.” Maybe Peter didn’t understand… but he believed… he knew the truth.

In our faith, we also believe that the way the Eucharist comes about here and now is through the priesthood. Again, we go back to the very words of the bible. At that same Last Supper, Jesus commissioned or ordained his apostles when he commanded them, “Do this is memory of me.” That’s why we believe that there’s a special sacramental power to convert bread and wine into the Eucharist, and that power is passed along through ordination.

All of us believers are incredibly blessed, because in our church, Holy Communion is available every single day… and in this part of the world, you can actually receive it daily if you wish. It’s as simple as coming to mass.

The Eucharist strengthens us spiritually, and that’s why it’s often called “food for the soul.” Life is not always a picnic, and we all need every bit of help we can get to survive and thrive. That’s what Holy Communion helps us to do.

What the Eucharist also does, in its great power, is transform us. As the famous saying goes, “You are what you eat.” Well, if you eat Christ, you become Christ.

Think about that! The Eucharist helps us to become holier… more loving… more patient, tolerant and forgiving… less afraid to put our lives on the line for the God we serve and the people we love—even when doing what’s right may put us in harm’s way.

On this Father’s Day, it’s good to honor our dads and remember all they’ve done for us. Let’s also give special thanks to our heavenly Father for all the extraordinary blessings he has sent our way—especially the Body and Blood of his Son.

The Name

Richard Nixon and Ira Yates

Trinity Sunday
Today’s Readings: Dt 4:32-40, Ps 33, Rom 8:14-17, Mt 28:16-20 [Link to readings]

Definitely one of the more colorful characters of American politics back in the ’60s and ’70s was President Richard Nixon.

Nixon was a poor boy from rural California. He was painfully shy. He went into politics and worked his way onto the national scene. He was soundly defeated in a couple of major elections, including his run for president against John F. Kennedy in 1960. But then almost incredibly, he went on to be twice-elected president himself, in 1968 and 1972.

Maybe history will never fully understand this mysterious and brooding man, but there is one unusual thing about Richard Nixon that probably played a big part in his ultimate victories—and that was his extraordinary talent for names. Whenever Nixon visited someplace—and it didn’t matter if it was a key urban precinct or just a small county off the beaten track—he knew the names of the local leaders and their spouses, and he even knew something about their kids and families.

To know somebody’s name is power. When you know a person’s name, that gives you the ability to relate to them personally by calling them or asking something from them.

The Bible recognizes that power. That’s why it treats names very mystically. Listen to just a few examples:

• Jesus tells us that if we come together in his name, he will be there among us. [Mt 18:5]

• He teaches us to venerate the Father’s name: hallowed be thy name… [Lk 11:2]

• The Scriptures show us how the apostles, and even those who broke away from being Christ’s followers, used Jesus’ name to prophesy, work miracles and even cast out demons. [Mt 9:38, Mt 7:22]

• Jesus promises a huge repayment to people who do even the smallest kindness, like just giving someone a drink of water, if they do it in his name. [Mk 9:41]

• Read the Acts of the Apostles and you’ll see how Peter and the other apostles do lots of powerful things in Jesus’ name—such as healing the sick, raising the dead, forgiving sins, and even turning plain bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. [Acts 3:6, 9:16, 10:48, 20:7]

• And finally, the book of Revelation at the very end of the Bible promises us that the elect—in other words, the saved—have the Father’s name and the Lamb’s on their foreheads. [Rev 14:1]

Our gospel on today’s feast day, Trinity Sunday, also speaks of God’s name, but with an interesting twist. Jesus commands his apostles to baptize everyone in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. [Mt 28:19] Maybe you think this should have been plural because there are three names in that list.

But actually, using the singular emphasizes the fullness and power and unity that is in all three together. That’s why we baptize in the name—singular—that is, in the power and fullness of being and unity—of all three persons of the Blessed Trinity.

As Catholics, we start all our prayers in the name of the three as we trace the sign of the cross across our forehead, heart and shoulders. When we say these words and make this sign, in fact we are praying for something very great: that the power of the Trinity will penetrate our minds, fill our hearts, and strengthen our shoulders. Can’t we all use more of that!

Despite this prayer ritual that we know so well and perform so often, sometimes we forget the vast and mysterious power that is literally at our fingertips.

Let me tell you a little story. During the Great Depression, a fellow named Ira Yates owned a sheep ranch in western Texas. Times were so tough that he couldn’t even make enough in his ranching operation to pay the mortgage, so he was in real danger of losing his place. There was barely enough money to buy necessities like food or clothing, so his family had to live on government subsidy.

Day after day, Yates grazed his sheep over the rolling west Texas hills, worrying constantly about keeping afloat. Then one day, a seismographic crew from an oil company showed up. They told them that they suspected there might be oil on his land, so they asked permission to drill a wildcat well. Having nothing to lose, Yates signed a lease contract.

The digging began. At 1,115 feet, they struck a huge oil reserve. The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day. They kept drilling, and they kept making amazing finds—wells producing even double that. Even 30 years later, the wells continued to pump out hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil every single day.

And Ira Yates owned it all!

The irony is, the ranch he had bought so many years before included all the oil and mineral rights under that ranch. And there he was, living on government relief! A multi-millionaire living in poverty! The problem? He didn’t realize that the oil was literally below his feet, even though he owned it!

Sadly, that’s exactly how many Catholics live in spiritual poverty. Through their baptism, they are entitled to the gifts of the three persons of God and all of God’s energizing power, but they may not even be aware of this birthright.

Can you imagine? Having all the power and blessings of God and not even know it!

But happily, you don’t have to remain in the dark. The power of God—the power of his name—is at your fingertips. Be filled with that power: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Call on the Holy Spirit

St. Dominic preaching

Pentecost Sunday
Today’s Readings: Acts 2:1-11; Ps. 104; 1 Cor. 12:3-7, 12-13; Jn. 20:19-23 [Link to Readings]

If you’re like me, you’ve probably been in situations where you wish you could speak a foreign language. For instance, I once had to give last rites to someone whose family only spoke Spanish. I felt so helpless in not being able to comfort them better.

St. Dominic, the great founder of the Dominican religious order, once found himself in the same boat. The story is told that he and several of his brother friars were traveling on foot through Europe when they met up with a group of friendly Germans. Dominic wanted to reward them for their kindness by sharing the true faith with them—but unfortunately, no one in his group spoke their language. So he said to his companions, “Brothers, let us pray to God to let us speak German so we can proclaim Jesus Christ to these worthy people.” They all knelt down and prayed earnestly… and when they stood back up, they were filled with the gift they asked God for! For four days, those Dominicans spoke in German to the kindly German travelers.

You may be surprised that a number of saints had this gift of tongues. St. Vincent Ferrer, another Dominican, could preach only in Spanish or Latin… but thanks to the gift of tongues, he could be understood by French, Greeks, Germans, English and Hungarians. St. Anthony of Padua and St. Francis Xavier, the apostle to India and Japan, also had this gift, so they could preach in languages they didn’t know or be understood by people whose language they didn’t speak themselves.

And all of this is just a tiny morsel of the amazing gifts that came down on the apostles on the first Pentecost Sunday when they received the Holy Spirit.

Of the three persons in the Blessed Trinity, there is no doubt that the Holy Spirit—also known as the Holy Ghost or the Paraclete or the Comforter or the Advocate—is the least understood and the least known… yet he is awesome in the supernatural gifts he gives and the powerful effects he works in the lives of the people who ask. Today’s feast of Pentecost is above all a celebration of the Holy Spirit.

Last week, on Ascension Day, we talked about Christ’s command that the disciples—and all of us baptized—are to go out to the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Jesus promised that God would send the Holy Spirit to help in this work.

So if you are willing to put yourself in the Lord’s service to spread the good news of the kingdom, then the Holy Spirit will be right there to help you. All you have to do is ask… and quite frankly, the transformation you can experience may be quite remarkable.

Think for a moment about today’s gospel. After Jesus had ascended to the Father, the apostles had locked themselves in the upper room of a building in Jerusalem. Obviously, they were scared of the Jewish leaders who had just put Christ to death.

Then, mysteriously, Jesus materializes in their midst. He smiled at them and tried to put them at ease. “Peace be with you”—he said to them twice. Then he breathed on them and told them to receive the Holy Spirit. In the reading from Acts, we hear how they experienced the Spirit’s coming in full force.

And then, these frightened, cowering, pusillanimous disciples burst out of that locked room into the streets below, where they fearlessly and openly proclaimed Jesus Christ… and converted thousands and thousands of people. It all started right there, and today—two thousand years and literally billions of converts later—it’s still going on… as it will, Jesus promised, until the end of the world.

The fear of the Jews kept the disciples locked up. The Holy Spirit released them and empowered them.

Ironically, fear keeps us locked up, too. In these parts, it’s not fear of the Jews… but it’s fear nonetheless. Maybe we’re afraid of being ridiculed for our religious zeal. Maybe we’re afraid we’ll be embarrassed if someone puts us on the spot by asking a question that we don’t know the answer to. Maybe we’re afraid that we’ll offend a friend or relative who belongs to another church or is uncomfortable around public expressions of religion. Maybe we’re afraid because we think that our faith should just be a private matter between God and me and we’d feel really nervous about giving a voice to our beliefs.

Well, my friends, just exactly the way that the apostles were freed and overcame their fear by being zapped by the Holy Spirit, so can we! In fact, we’re actually a step ahead of those first Christians because we know to ask for the gifts of the Spirit; they didn’t!

Don’t be afraid to ask for the heavenly gifts you need: courage, stamina, fearlessness, deeper faith, convincing words, contagious joy, a more loving heart—all the special attributes that can draw people to Christ through you. You probably know yourself well enough to identify your weaknesses and ask the Holy Spirit to fix them… but if not, that’s OK, too. Just pray for whatever graces you need.

But the important thing is to pray, to ask. God insists on this. Why? Because he gave us real free will, and the Lord is not going to push himself on us. It’s always up to us to respond to his invitation by asking, seeking and knocking. We do that 1%, and God does the other 99%. It’s a pretty good deal!

So on this Feast of Pentecost, don’t be afraid to stop being afraid. Instead, pray: Come, Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in us the fire of your love. Amen. Alleluia!