28 July 2014

Underwear

(Now that I have your attention . . .)

Okay, I have to be honest. After reading and listening to the First Reading from Jeremiah today, I don't think that I can look at underwear the same way.

"What are you talking about, Frob?", you may be asking.

Clinging.

Specifically, clinging to God.

Our First Reading for the Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time was Jeremiah 13:1-11. It reads:

 The LORD said to me: Go buy yourself a linen loincloth;
wear it on your loins, but do not put it in water.
I bought the loincloth, as the LORD commanded, and put it on.
A second time the word of the LORD came to me thus:
Take the loincloth which you bought and are wearing,
and go now to the Parath;
there hide it in a cleft of the rock.
Obedient to the LORD’s command, I went to the Parath
and buried the loincloth.
After a long interval, the LORD said to me:
Go now to the Parath and fetch the loincloth
which I told you to hide there.
Again I went to the Parath, sought out and took the loincloth
from the place where I had hid it.
But it was rotted, good for nothing!
Then the message came to me from the LORD:
Thus says the LORD:
So also I will allow the pride of Judah to rot,
the great pride of Jerusalem.
This wicked people who refuse to obey my words,
who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts,
and follow strange gods to serve and adore them,
shall be like this loincloth which is good for nothing.
For, as close as the loincloth clings to a man’s loins,
so had I made the whole house of Israel
and the whole house of Judah cling to me, says the LORD;
to be my people, my renown, my praise, my beauty.
But they did not listen.



The Lord wants us to cling to Him, just as tightly and intimately (and even as awkwardly at times) as our underwear clings to us. In all the moments of our lives, the Lord draws us tightly to Himself; He holds us, without giving to the thought of letting us go. We may struggle against Him. We may try to wiggle ourselves out of His grasp. We may even try to play dead like a possum so that He'll loosen His grip. But, ultimately, the response is, "Nope. Ain't goin' to happen. I have you, and you are Mine." It's up to us to choose to hold as tight to the Lord as He holds on to us. It's a choice that we have make daily. It's like making sure our underwear fits right - if we gain weight, the underwear will cling to us in ways that are extremely uncomfortable; if we lose weight, our underwear will just fall right off of us. If we want it to cling to us the right way, we need to make sure it fits just right. (Know your size!)

Also, we know that we use our underwear to protect those most intimate parts of our body. God wants to protect our most intimate part - our heart. Just as hides those items on our bodies which make us most vulnerable, the Lord reminds us that the most vulnerable spot for us is the human heart, for that is where we process all the relationships and encounters of our lives, be it with family, friends, strangers, enemies, or God. The intimacy that we share with God - and, by extension, our human family - is something that we should cling to, for it is through our heart that we come to understand, appreciate, and live out our vulnerability. We cling to our God because He wants to protect us when and where we are most vulnerable - and that is the place where we encounter Him most intimately.

Yet, it's important to acknowledge that sometimes our underwear clings to us in an awkward state. And so do we with God. Face it: humanity is awkward. Yet, wearing underwear is awkward at times. It rides up on you. It gives you a wedgie. It inches its way too far up or too far low. And yet, do we not do the same with God? We, at times, cling to Him in a most awkward fashion, trying to remind Him that we're there. Yet there's never a reason to be awkward with God: He knows we're there . . . we know He's here. Yet our humanity, our living out our lives in the flesh, is awkward. Yet God never sees us - or our clinging to Him - as awkward. He sees us as trying to live our lives as faithfully as we can. The awkwardness comes in when we mess up, when we sin . . . and then that awkward feeling develops on our end. It's never awkward for God. And, honestly, if we're trying to cling to Him through our struggles to be faithful to Him, it should never be awkward for us.

Yep . . . I bet that you'll never look at your underwear in quite the same way the next time you're choosing a pair to wear or doing the laundry. But the key is that, if we want to keep our underwear from clinging to us in that awkward fashion, if we want our underwear to protect those intimate and vulnerable areas of our body, if we want it to fit us the right way and cling to us, then we are in need of making sure that we take care of our underwear. The same with our relationship with God. We never want to be found feeling awkward before the Lord; we never want to have those intimate and vulnerable areas of our hearts going unprotected; we never want to be found thinking that God is too big or too small for us to cling to. We need to be attentive to our relationship with God. We need to recognize that we can't let go of our grasp on God - even though He will never let go of us.

God simply wants us to cling to Him.

No. Matter. What.



Go ahead - trying going through the rest of your day ignoring your underwear. I bet it'll be a little more difficult now.

And awkward.



But that's okay.











Enjoy the journey . . . 

19 July 2014

The Weeds and the Wheat

The A/C in the church crashed on Wednesday, meaning that we're streamlining the Mass as much as possible. Luckily, the weather isn't too bad, but it's still Summer, and we do have a bit of humidity this weekend.

The homily below was something that I sorta threw together. I wanted to flush it out more, but due to the circumstances in the church, I'm trying to play it a little more safe.

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Homily for the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
20 July 2014

        As Christians, we consider ourselves to be the wheat in the parable we just heard in our Gospel for this weekend. So, let’s take a moment to truly consider what this means for us.

        As the wheat, then, we have been planted to produce a harvest. Yet, the Devil wishes to produce a harvest, as well. He has sown the weeds amongst us, hoping that they will leave us malnourished and dying in the field.

        But as our Gospel reminds us, the wheat and the weeds grow together, side by side. This does not mean that the weeds are as good as or better than the wheat, only that the weeds grow along side of us, trying to usurp the good that we can do.

        My brothers and sisters, we may try our hardest to subdue the weeds in our midst, and it may seem futile at times. Perhaps it shouldn’t be a concern to us about overcoming the weeds, but a simple recognition that the weeds are there. We, therefore, need to focus on being the growing and strengthening of the wheat we are, and the wheat of our family and friends that grow around us.

        In the end, as we heard in the Gospel, the Lord will separate the weeds from the wheat. Our job, as the wheat, is to grow and be strengthened until the harvest, where we will be ground into the bread by which others are fed. Our job, as the wheat, is to discover how and what God will use us for, even growing among the weeds.

        We may not be able to avoid the weeds that grow amongst us in this life, but that also means that we don’t allow the weeds to choke us in life, either. The Devil will always use the complacency in society to try to choke the life out of our faith and to choke the faith out of our life. As the wheat, however, it is our job to not allow this to happen. Rather, as the wheat, we are to look forward to the harvest. Yet, in the meantime, we are to use those means by which God will continue to nurture us in this life – especially the Church, Scriptures and Sacraments.

        Saint Ignatius of Antioch, on the way to his martyrdom, said, “I am the wheat of God. Let me be ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ.” Let us take the opportunity this day, then, to grow as the wheat among the weeds, so that when the harvest comes, we may be ground into the pure bread of Christ – that bread which satisfies the longing of the human heart.


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Enjoy the journey . . .

15 July 2014

"A Faithful Friend . . ."

Recently, this passage from Sirach (6:14-16) has been on my mind:

 Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter;
whoever finds one finds a treasure.

Faithful friends are beyond price,

no amount can balance their worth.

Faithful friends are life-saving medicine;

those who fear God will find them.


I recently had to put a dear friendship on hold. It was hard and difficult to come to the realization to begin with, but even more so in the execution. We've been friends for over a decade, which made taking this action even more difficult.

But what I have been finding in this time of reflection is that this friendship, while one that I truly cherish, is one of the few friendships that is not based in anything "churchy" - and it shows. Yet, it also has allowed me to see where I have been successful and where I have failed in bringing Christ into the friendship.

Yet, I've also noticed that, because our views and outlooks on life are based in two different camps, his postings on social media are more angry, sarcastic, cynical, and depressed. I, then, have to stand back and ask myself if this is the type of friendship that I want to be involved with. Coming from the camp that I do, I see joy in all things - even in the sufferings and frustrations of life; he sees a bleakness. I now have the opportunity to really ask myself the question: Is there some way in which I can introduce him to the true and fullness of joy that I feel and experience everyday? But the follow-up question has to be: Will he choose it?

Even in the midst of asking myself these questions, I have to admit that even though we don't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, he's still a good friend to hang out with, watch a movie and have a beer with. And that's something that's good to have, especially when life in ministry becomes a little too much, and I just need a break for an evening. And this will force me at times to really seek out my brother priests for those moments when I need to talk out those moments in ministry - good and bad - when my view of the Lord becomes a bit obstructed by my pride or the world's interjection.

Having taken a step back, even if it's been a recent event, has helped me in understanding and appreciating this friendship, as well as all the other friendships that I share in. It's given me the chance to see which friends in my life are the "sturdy shelter", which ones are "beyond price", and which ones are "life-saving medicine". And it's given me an opportunity to come to know some of the other friendships in my life which I must step back from, if not turn away from all together. 

Ultimately, I don't see the friendship ending. But I'm glad that I had the courage to step back for a little while, so that I could not only appreciate the friendship that has been there, but so that I can begin to work on a plan to ensure that this friendship can become as fruitful as possible - even if Christ isn't the main reason for our friendship. (That's not to say the Lord isn't a part of the friendship, but may become a stronger reason and bond as time goes on. [Here's to hoping!])

In the meantime, as I continue to work "behind the scenes" on this one particular friendship, it gives me an opportunity to work and appreciate the many other friendships in my life that I have been blessed with.

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Enjoy the journey . . .

12 July 2014

Whoever Has Ears



Homily for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
13 July 2014

“Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

        These words of the Lord continue to echo throughout the ages. These are wise words; they are words that continue to guide us. However, they are also words which the Devil has used throughout the course of history to attempt to sabotage the plans of God.

        And we – as individuals and as a society – have bought into the lie.

        From “Just do it,” to “I’m lovin’ it;” from “Have it your way” to “Because I’m worth it,” our culture and society are trying – and in many ways succeeding – in getting us to listen. They want us to listen to how they believe we can please ourselves. Our society, after all, is “all about me.” “I need those things in life which will make ME happy, and, at times, I don’t care who stands in my way to get it.” We are hearing something, alright. We are hearing what the world wants us to hear.

        In doing so, we fail to hear Christ.

        In doing so, we harden our hearts to the Word God speaks to us.

        My brothers and sisters, when we keep our attention focused on what the world wants to feed us, the soil of our hearts and souls become malnourished. We allow the junk that the world feeds us to deplete the soil of our lives of any nutrients, and the soil hardens so much that nothing can penetrate it.

        The longer we allow the ground of our hearts to be hardened, the longer we refuse to till the soil of the soul, the more difficult it becomes for the Lord to sow the seed of His Word within us.

        As we allow the world to grab our attention, we satisfy the desires and longings of our hearts with things that are passing, those things which the world esteems will soothe our restlessness. And while allowing this to occur, we harden our hearts. We do not allow the Lord to till the soil where He wants to plant His seed. Therefore, we reject His love; we reject His peace.

        My friends, if we are called to sow the seeds of the Gospel in our environments, how can we do so if our hearts and souls have never been sown themselves? If we harden our hearts to the soft rain of God’s mercy, then how can we till the soil of the hearts of our family and friends, enabling them to experience God’s mercy?

        If you have ears, listen to the voice of the Lord!

        If you have ears, listen to the Word of God!

        If you have ears, listen, so as to proclaim the Gospel!

        Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, stop listening to the voices, the messages, and the lies of the world! Stop the hardening of your hearts by indulging in the false messages of our society! Allow Christ’s word to be sown in your hearts! Allow God, through His mercy, to soften your hearts, so that He may till it by His love and peace!

        The word of the Lord never returns to Him void, as we heard in our First Reading. The word of the Lord is never “null and void” in a world which truly yearns for His Good News. The word of the Lord only becomes void, dry, and arid if we choose it to be so. And the more that we choose to believe the empty statements of the world, the more difficult it becomes to believe the Truth which comes forth from the mouth of God.

        Our ears, as well as our hearts, souls, eyes, minds and wills, need to be attuned to the voice of God, so that we may hear His Word. We must be open to the hand of God tilling the soil of our hearts and souls so that the seed of His word may be planted within us, and, when brought to full bloom, may be able to be shared and spread to those in the many environments of our lives.

        May our ears be open to listen to God’s word, our hearts be open to receive His word, and our lives be fruitful in the proclamation of the Good News.



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Enjoy the journey . . .

05 July 2014

Desire Humility



Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
6 July 2014

“Come to Me . . . for I am meek and humble of heart.”

        These words of our Lord are an invitation. Not just an invitation to come to Him or to follow Him, but words that invite us to rest in Him.

        My brothers and sisters, the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the source of humility; it is the eternal and ultimate remedy for all that ails us. It is the cure for our pride.

        Pride is the base of all sin. Pride is that which buries itself within us to focus our attention not on the needs of others, but what our disordered affections convince us to seek in what we believe will make us happy. Humility – especially the humility based in the Heart of Jesus – reveals to us, His “little ones”, all that the Father has kept hidden from the wise and the proud.

        Now, I must say that there IS a good sense of pride. We saw this “good pride” earlier this week when the U.S. soccer team was advancing in the World Cup finals. We saw this “good pride” as our country celebrated her 238th Anniversary of Independence from a tyrannical monarchy on Friday. This “good pride” is that which all nations exhibit in some way, shape, or form when citizens unite together for a common goal or purpose – placing the needs of others (or the national state) above one’s own.

        Nevertheless, pride is also the sin which divides a nation and condemns it. We saw this in the 1930s with the rise of Nazi Germany and the fascist regime of Italy. Yet, in recent days, we have seen the sin of individual pride – “What I want; what’s good for ME” – become the basis for a harsh and saddening divide in our own nation. This sin of pride – which has, unfortunately, played out very loudly over the course of this past week – has captured and distorted the hearts of our nation.

        My friends, the recent Supreme Court decision doesn’t just reflect an ongoing battle for women’s rights, so-called “reproductive rights”, or even the fight for religious liberty. Rather, it is simply the modern manifestation of the battle of pride over humility: What I want overshadowing what’s good for the other. And, at the heart of it, this has been the battle from the beginning of time with Satan choosing himself over God, and Adam and Eve believing the deceits of the Serpent.

        This is the primary reason that the Church condemns the use of artificial birth control as a mortal sin: Pride rules the heart in its use, and the moment becomes about “me” and “my desires” over the mutual gift of self that the marital embrace between one man and one woman is to achieve. Our lack of humility becomes prevalent when the disorders of our hearts become our primary goal.

        But enter into time and into our hearts the words and the Person of Jesus Christ. He calls us to come to Him; He calls us to rest in Him.  He wants to take the pride that eschews our hearts to Love and wants to give us the humility to live in Love alone. Christ desires to transform the wanton desires buried deep inside us and wants to give us a desire for meekness and a pure heart.

        Christ only desires our desire of Him.

        Pride keeps us from this.

        The heart’s battle of pride and humility is trying to live out the call of Christ to enter into the rest He invites us to. If we choose to live in pride, if we consistently choose “what’s good for me”, we will always be restless, and the desires of our hearts will reflect that. Pride keeps us turning in to ourselves, always trying to satisfy the desires of an insatiable, wanton heart that feeds on disordered, unfulfilling love.

        However, if we are to choose humility, we choose a way of life that detaches us from desiring anything but the will of God. If we choose humility, then we choose to rest our restless hearts in the Heart that truly desires us. Being humble allows us to choose Christ, and in that choice, we lay down all that labors and burdens us, and we find rest.

        Think about what Paul says in his letter to the Romans in our Second Reading: For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. This is pride versus humility. This is good versus evil. This is what we desire for ourselves versus what Christ desires for us.

        Saint Teresa of Avila once said, “One act of humility is worth more than all the knowledge of the world.” The little ones to whom the Lord reveals great things knows that it is through one’s humility that we are “[inspired] in . . . words and actions to comfort those who labor and are burdened,” and that humility helps us to “stand as a living witness to truth and freedom, to peace and justice, that all people may be raised up to a new hope” (Preface of Eucharist Prayer of Masses for Various Needs and Occasions IV).

        The wise and learned of the world believe they know everything, but, in reality, know nothing if they can’t submit in humility to understand all that the Lord is calling them to. Pride inspires in us words and actions that are condescending to others, and help us stand as a living witness to deceit and bondage, restlessness and injustice, that all people may be brought low to an everlasting misery.

        My brothers and sisters, coming here today is one step in accepting the Lord’s invitation to come to Him and find rest. Coming here today is to recognize Jesus Christ as meek and humble of heart. Coming here today is acknowledging that we are the “little ones” of God, and that we have much to learn from Him.

        Coming here today is an act of humility.

        Becoming humble like Christ is a choice, and one that we must make daily. Remember: Christ only desires our desire of Him. Pride keeps us from this. Yet desiring nothing but the will of God allows our pride to be swept away by the torrent of God’s love, as He reorients our distorted hearts back to Him, and we let go of ourselves, our selfish desires, only to run back to Him with reckless abandon as one of His “little ones”.

        And we pray:

Most humble Jesus, give me a share of your humility. Take from my heart everything that displeases you; convert it totally to you, so that I may no longer will or desire anything other than what you will. Amen.




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Enjoy the journey . . .