The Kingdom of Heaven Is at Hand

The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today’s Readings: [Click here]

A very overweight man decided that it was time to get into shape. He went on a strict diet and was doing quite well. In fact, he was so serious and dedicated about his weight-loss program that he even changed his usual driving route to work precisely in order to avoid passing his favorite bakery. One morning, though, he arrived at his office carrying a large, sugar-coated, calorie-laden coffee cake.

His fellow employees laughed and teased him about this, but he only smiled, shrugged his shoulders and said, “What could I do? This is a very special cake. What happened is that, just out of habit, I accidentally drove by the bakery this morning, and there in the window were these trays of the most incredible goodies.

“Well, I felt this was no accident that I happened to pass by this way, so I prayed, ‘Lord, if you really want me to have one of those scrumptious coffee cakes, let me find a parking space right in front of the bakery.’ And sure enough, on the ninth time around the block, there it was!”

Anyone who has struggled with their weight—or any number of other problems, for that matter—knows the familiar cycle: temptation… indulgence… regret… then: try, try again…

In an important way, Jesus addresses this in the gospel today and wants to leave us with his reassurance and encouragement as he says: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Immediately after Jesus finished his great temptation experience in the wilderness—you remember how the devil tempted him three times—he received some bad news. His cousin, John the Baptist, had been put in prison. John’s message had been a powerful one. He demanded that everyone repent of their sins and amend their lives. He was blunt and spoke his truth boldly. He preached to the crowds and pressed them to prepare for Jesus, God’s called and special One, who would save people from their sins. He was jailed for his words and would later be executed for them. John refused to compromise his message from God.

This makes it doubly interesting that despite John’s experience, here comes Jesus who immediately began preaching a message of repentance. Repentance has always been dangerous and unpopular. It takes courage to look within yourself and be honest with God—whether it has to do with giving up fattening and unhealthy foods or morally-harmful attitudes and behaviors.

So, what does it mean when the Lord tells us that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand”? He means that a spiritual revolution is afoot, and he, of course, is ushering it in. God is now with us and among us. He has come to be our light, to show us the way out of the morass we’re in, to save us from our sins, to love us and to set us on a safe footing in this life and in the next.

The idea about the kingdom or reign of heaven is so important, that it’s mentioned 33 times in the gospel of Matthew alone… and 99 times in all the gospels combined… and another 25 times through the other books of the New Testament. God’s kingdom is the major and most all-encompassing focus of the good news of Jesus Christ.

And ironically, Jesus’ words about the kingdom of heaven are probably the teachings that are most often overlooked by many, many people! Why do we so quickly focus on other teachings? Probably because we find it easier to look for Band-Aid fixes to life’s problems rather than get to the root of things.

I began today’s message by telling a funny story about a heavy guy having a major relapse from his diet. But isn’t that how dieting often works? Every overweight person who wants to lose weight dreams of the miracle weight-loss cure. They’ll try every new diet that comes down the pike: low-fat, low-carb, all-protein, all grapefruit juice or other liquids, diet shakes, and so on. Some take pills. Some opt for surgeries. But when push comes to shove, don’t we all know that in the vast majority of cases, a person loses weight if they take in fewer calories than they expend? In other words, a combination of controlled, healthy eating and an exercise program will get you where you want to go. Everything else is a Band-Aid fix. You can’t really expect to gorge on doughnuts and coffee cakes and watch the pounds melt off.

In exactly the same way, Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven is at hand AND that what it’s going to take is not a superficial change, not a simple little Band-Aid fix, but radical discipleship. Everyone, without exception, is welcome into this kingdom… but if we want to participate, our human conscience must be aroused to injustice and the roots of sin. If we want our heart to be liberated, then we must repent of these—in thought, word and deed.

God, in his kingdom, is righteous and all-good. Anything opposed to God’s goodness, love and mercy is called sin, and we must root it out of our life. That takes commitment and perseverance. Jesus traces sin to the human heart and challenges us especially on the sins of neglect, the good left undone, our unused talents; and then our insensitivities and lack of compassion towards others, and all the sins against people, against love.

We are incredibly blessed that God has sent his Son to fill us in on the kingdom of heaven and patiently teach us how to get there. I pray that we’ll all embrace Christ’s call to repentance and experience the joy and grace of God’s kingdom.

He Will Put a New Song in Your Mouth

The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Today’s Readings: [Click here]

It was a Sunday morning in South America, in a little chapel on the border of Venezuela and Colombia. As mass was beginning, something not too unusual took place: a band of guerillas armed with machine guns burst out of the jungle, and crashed and banged their way into the church. The priest and the congregation were horrified and scared to death. The men dragged the priest outside to be executed. Then the leader of the guerillas came back inside and demanded, “Anyone else who believes in this God stuff, come forward!” Everyone was petrified. They stood frozen. There was a long silence.

Finally, one man slowly stood up and approached the guerilla chief. He said simply, “I love Jesus.” The guerilla grabbed him by the collar and roughly tossed him to the soldiers, so he also could be taken out to be executed. Several other Christians came forward saying the same thing. They, too, were shoved outside. Then the sound of machine gun fire was heard.

When there were no more people left who were willing to identify themselves as Christians, the guerilla chief returned inside and commanded the remaining congregation to get out. He boomed at them, “You have no right to be here!” And with that, he herded them out of the chapel, where they were astonished to see their pastor and all the others standing there—very much alive and well.

The priest and those people were ordered back into the church to continue mass, while the others were angrily warned to stay out—“until,” said the guerilla leader, “you have the courage to stand up for your beliefs!” And with that, the guerillas disappeared back into the jungle.

Not many of us are tested so dramatically or frighteningly to put our faith, or lack of faith, on the line. In a way, that’s almost too bad, because we may be deluding ourselves into thinking that we’re stronger or more fervent Christians than we really are.

We don’t need a guerilla or terrorist to shove a machine gun in our back to test our faith commitment. Actually, we can see it in action in the simpler things in life. Take waiting, for example. Aren’t most of us waiting for something?

Maybe money is tight. You buy Lotto tickets every week and are waiting for your numbers to hit… or you’re waiting for your house to sell… or the stock market to go back up… or you’re waiting to graduate from school so you can support yourself and be out on your own… or you’re waiting for the boss to recognize your good work and give you a raise.

Or maybe your focus is more emotional. You’re waiting for the love of your life to finally drop into your world—like a scene straight out of a romantic movie! Or you’re waiting for an estranged friend or family member to meet you halfway and patch up your relationship… or waiting for a spouse or significant other to stop cheating on you… or waiting for other kids to stop bullying you.

Or perhaps your wait is for something entirely different: you’re waiting for a miracle of healing… waiting for a flash of insight to solve a difficult problem… waiting for a special career break…

Waiting… waiting… waiting.

As we take up this new phase of the liturgical year, Ordinary Time, I ask you this: how does the Lord God figure in your waiting?

In John’s gospel today, John the Baptist has been given an amazing message and prophecy: he’s not sure why, but he’s told that he’s supposed to baptize with water. And then, when he sees the Spirit of God come down on someone and remain there, John will know that this is the Christ who will be revealed and who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.

So with watchful expectation, John waited. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year… he waited. He watched for the sign.

When the Lord is a vital part of the equation, waiting is not ominous. It’s not scary. We’re not paralyzed with uncertainty or worried so much that our blood pressure jumps by 20 points.

Instead, listen to the magnificent words of Psalm 40. Today’s responsorial psalm had an excerpt, but here are the first three verses in full:

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.

My friends, whatever is going on in your life, bring it before God in prayer. Yes, pray every day. Let the Lord into your innermost life. Bring your needs and desires, the things you’re hoping for and waiting for, to Jesus Christ. Let him put a new song in your mouth, lighten your load, strengthen your back, and amplify your faith.

Some of the people in the little South American chapel were caught off guard when the guerillas attacked them out of the blue. But we mustn’t be unprepared… and really, it’s so simple not to be. Nothing God asks of us is ever very hard, because he helps us every step of the way. So how should you pray? Just talk to him. He’s listening.

Talk to God. Tell him your dreams, your needs, your worries. Then be prepared to find that new song in your mouth—a hymn of praise to our God.

Baptized into the Power of God

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
Today’s Readings: [Click here]

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord—and Monday, we return to Ordinary Time. As always, there is a beautiful wisdom in this calendar arrangement.

Jesus didn’t need to be baptized the way we regular mortals do. He certainly didn’t have the stain of original sin on his soul that needed to be washed away. And he didn’t need to become an adopted child of God, since he was already a “natural” child of God—if we can use such an awkward term.

Our Lord’s baptism can perhaps better be seen as an important milestone in his earthly life—almost a commissioning to begin his public ministry. And of course, Ordinary Time is where the bulk of that public ministry takes place.

In our own lives, in a parallel sense, most of us also go through important rites of passage: we earn our high school diploma, we pass the nursing licensure exam, get through the police academy, pass the bar, get a military commission, get ordained, get married… Once you’re trained, officially certified and have the appropriate license or piece of paper, you then can begin your career or new life: as a nurse, police officer, lawyer, soldier, priest, husband or wife, and so on. Your own “ordinary time” in life then begins where you live out the life you prepared for.

One of the most important rites for human beings is baptism. It is, of course, a sacrament and a rite of the Church. But it is also a rite of passage. Through baptism, a person is mystically, instantaneously and permanently transformed into a new creation: an adopted child of God and a member of Christ’s Church. Today, I’d especially like to speak about this membership aspect of baptism.

We are fortunate people to live in a rural community. Yeah, we may not have all the conveniences of city living—the stores, the cultural resources, high-speed internet—but life is pretty good. We know our neighbors. The air is clean. Rush hour is not bumper to bumper on the Dan Ryan but a couple of loose hogs on the road or getting behind a combine during harvest season.

Go into Chicago or New York or just about any big city, and you’ll run into all kinds of terrible problems—like gangs. Many gang members are nothing more than youngsters who crave a sense of belonging and importance. By themselves, they’re weak and scared. But put on the gang colors and join the crowd… well, now you’re powerful and respected, if only out of fear.

If you’ll pardon the analogy, our baptism makes us part of Christ’s gang. Once we were weak and alone, but now, thanks to the character imprinted onto our soul—our gang colors, you might say—we become part of a powerful and divine machine: the Body of Christ. We’re no longer weak. We’re no longer alone.

Through his teaching and example, Jesus shows us that becoming a member of the Church through baptism is actually a miracle that operates on several levels.

For one thing, it’s about our faith and how, if we trust in God, we’ll always have what we need. If you join a gang, there are no guarantees. You could get killed, betrayed, wind up in jail… but the power of God insures that if we follow him, we are good to go.

Second, it’s about how even the smallest thing we offer to God will grow and blossom through God’s grace. Our life becomes a living example of the multiplication of the loaves. Did you see the story in last Sunday’s News-Gazette about the 7-year-old girl in Danville who raised $1,500 to help a family that was burned out? Seven years old! Her mustard seed, her one small loaf, was magnified and multiplied. We can do that, too: with a kind word, a small good deed, the widow’s mite given in love, an extra bit of patience, a smile… Because we’re not just separate, discrete individuals—but a community in Christ—we draw others, or are ourselves drawn, into a loving support network where the whole is definitely greater than the mere sum of the parts. There is an electricity, an excitement, a dynamic strength, in belonging to the Body of Christ.

And thirdly, it’s about how the riches we all have are often hidden until Christ’s presence brings them out. Christ transforms everything we bring before him. It’s as though our baptism gives us the key or password to unlock a special vault within us that contains so many blessings and graces that emerge when needed. We scarcely have any idea how great and vast our treasure is…

After his own baptism, Jesus is revealed as the Christ. The heavens were opened and the voice of the Father thundered: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. As he takes up his public ministry, Jesus teaches us that even the small deposits of love and caring we offer our neighbors will do more than just satisfy immediate needs. Through Christ, what we offer may grow into something much greater than we could ever imagine. Why? Because love comes from God and is therefore incredibly powerful. As we love one another, God will enable that love to grow exponentially, transforming both us and the world.

On this Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we should stop to consider the awesome dignity and power and mystery that we possess by reason of our baptism. Let us offer our thanksgiving to God for so great a gift, and promise to be open to use the bounty of our baptism in life to the greatest extent we possibly can.

Your Epiphany Awaits

Shiva & Shakti

Feast of the Epiphany
Today’s Readings: [Click here]

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany. We all love the story of the Three Magi who outwitted King Herod, and who now arrive at Bethlehem on their camels with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh for the baby Jesus. Many of us see this as the charming epilogue to the story of Christmas.

But rather than looking at the Epiphany as just a minor holiday in the Church year, we should really stop to examine what this celebration is truly about—and it’s pretty amazing.

The word “epiphany” itself means a sudden and illuminating discovery of God, because he has revealed himself in a simple but dramatic way. The Wise Men were given the gift of this epiphany, since they were the first Gentiles to come to know Christ.

And therein is the first startling truth: there is no exclusive “in crowd” in the call from God. Jesus did not come just for the Jews. The Gentiles are not mere last-minute additions to the saved. They are co-heirs with the Jews, and that was God’s plan from the beginning.

All through the Scriptures, we see how God draws the unlikeliest characters into his plan of salvation. Alongside of believers and saints, we find prostitutes, adulterers, thieves, pagans, schemers and rogues of every description. Just consider the genealogy at the beginning of the gospel of Matthew to see who made up Jesus’ family tree!

So it shouldn’t really come as a big surprise to see that the Magi were actually pagan astrologers who worshiped and studied the stars. Most likely, they were members of the ancient religious sect of Zoroastrians.

Ironically, many of their beliefs would have been at odds with the teachings of Judaism and Christianity, so our first inclination might be to reject them or condemn them. But our Lord did not do that. On the contrary, he loved them and embraced them, and made them a vital part of his plan.

Now consider our own times. As followers of Jesus Christ, we all know and spout the “party line” of Christianity: love all people… judge not … forgive your neighbor.

But do we?

I’m afraid most of us have created for ourselves a mental image of what a “proper” Catholic should really be like. I don’t know about this. Do we really think God needs us to be his gatekeepers? You ought to test yourself on this. Is there a welcome place here for people who don’t fit your mold? Perhaps for people who have been married and divorced two or three times? For women who have had an abortion, or a child out of wedlock, or people who think that women should have a right to choose? For gays and lesbians? For convicted sex offenders? For people who have crippling addictions or emotional problems and really make us feel uncomfortable? For people who are too poor, or too liberal, or too flamboyant, or too whatever?

Yes, we can all learn a lot from Jesus on how to be more accepting of our brothers and sisters, because that’s always the first step to win their heart.

And there’s also a flip side to all this: if you fall in any of these categories, do you feel that God through his Church has somehow pushed you aside … that you’re not fully welcome… that you can’t be yourself without fear of being condemned…? What a tragedy to feel as though you’re not good enough for God!

Well, dear friends in Christ, it’s time for another epiphany that flows out of today’s feast day: all of you are loved—and wanted—and important—and filled with the gift of God’s grace. The crucial thing is not to give up on God. He cherishes you and will never give up on you.

There’s a wonderful parable from India about the divine couple in Hinduism, Shiva and Shakti. They are in their heavenly abode watching over the earth, and they are touched by the challenges of human life and human suffering.

As they’re watching, Shakti sees a miserably poor man walking down a road. His clothes are shabby and his sandals are held together with a rope. Her heart is filled with compassion. Touched by the man’s goodness and his struggle, Shakti turns to her divine husband and begs him to give this man some gold. Shiva looks at the man for a long moment. “My dearest wife,” he says, “I cannot do that.” Shakti is astounded. “Why, what do you mean, Husband? You are Lord of the Universe. Why can’t you do this simple thing?”

Shiva answers, “I cannot give this to him because he is not yet ready to receive it.” Shakti becomes angry. “Do you mean to say that you cannot drop a bag of gold in his path?”

“Surely I can,” Shiva replies, “but that is not the issue.”

“Please, Husband,” says Shakti.

And so with a divine sigh Shiva drops a bag of gold in the man’s path.

The man meanwhile walks along thinking to himself, “I wonder if I will find dinner tonight—or shall I go hungry again?” Turning a bend in the road, he sees something on the path in his way. “Aha,” he says. “Look there, a large rock. How fortunate that I have seen it. I might have torn these poor sandals of mine even further.” And carefully stepping over the bag of gold, he goes on his way.

It seems that life—make that: God—drops many bags of gold in our path. Rarely do they look like what they are.

The very thing that you hate about yourself or your life… the very thing that you wish that God would have made different… there! There is your bag of gold. Pray on this in the silence of your heart, in the presence of the Lord. Let God reveal himself to you in a flash of perception, so that at long last you might find peace and experience His joyful love.

Like the Magi, your epiphany awaits…