100 Days to Freedom Program

 

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Woman caught in Adultery - Judgement - What do we fill our minds with?

 

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Lent Year C

Adapted from a Homily by Father Tommy Lane

What a contrast between the cruelty of the scribes and Pharisees and the compassion of Jesus in our Gospel (John 8:1-11). 

The scribes and Pharisees had no regard for the woman. 

They were only interested in using her to try to trap Jesus. 

She was a pawn in their game of chess. 

They had no regard for the fact that possibly she did not initiate the sin, perhaps it was the man.

But Jesus is full of compassion. 

He restored the woman again, in two ways. 

He restored her spiritually by forgiving her, telling her he did not condemn her, while also insisting that she not sin again, and he restored her to society by saving her life.

No one knows what Jesus wrote on the ground, but some people suspect Jesus wrote the sins of the scribes and Pharisees. 

Notice also that it was the elders in the group who went away first. 

The elders had committed more sins, those who had lived longer had more to be sorry about in their own lives.

The woman received forgiveness from Jesus and also received her life back again. 

Notice Jesus’ last words to the woman, “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” (John 8:11) 

Although Jesus has forgiven her sin, he expects her to live a life of grace and union with God from now on by not sinning anymore. 

Jesus doesn’t say that sin does not matter because sin does matter and damages our relationship with God. 

So, Jesus says, “go away and don’t sin anymore.” 

When we receive Jesus’ forgiveness he expects us to live as new people afterward. 

That is precisely the attitude with which we are to come to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. 

It would make no sense to come to confess our sins if we intended to continue committing the same sins again.

In our human weakness we may commit the same sin again, but as we come to confession if we do not intend to amend our lives then surely, we cannot say that we are truly sorry for our sins.

Surely, we can only genuinely say that we are truly sorry for our sins if we have a firm intention not to commit sin again. 

If we could see into our souls and see the damage our sin causes to our souls, and to the whole Church, we would flee from committing sin.

To better illuminate this idea, I would like read an excerpt of a letter written by Jacques Fesch to his mother before his execution which took place by guillotine in France on the 1^st of October, 1957. 

The 27-year-old was beheaded for murder shortly after he bungled an armed robbery three years earlier (February 25^th 1954). 

He underwent a conversion experience while on death row and the publication of his letters touched many, especially young people. 

Cardinal Lustiger of Paris signed a decree that may one day see Jacques declared “Blessed.”

This is part of Jacques’ letter,

“This execution which frightens you is nothing compared to what awaits sinners in the next world.

It is not for me you should weep but for sinners who offend God.

As for me, I am happy Jesus is calling me to himself and great graces have been given me.

If you could only taste for a single instant the sweetness of the transports of divine love and could realize the absolute gravity of the slightest offense.

God must come first, do not forget it.

He calls you and believes in you, you are rich in his love.

Many souls are linked with yours and you will have an account to render.

You must go to Christ without whom you can do nothing.

If you seek him, you will find him.

But you must seek him with all your heart.

Above all do not seek your own will, but His.”

As I said, if we could see into our souls and see the damage our sin causes to our souls, and to the whole Church as the body of Christ, we would flee from committing sin and Jacques’ letter reminds us of the horror of sin.

Jesus said to the woman not to sin again and since sin is so horrible and horrific we need to take steps to ensure that we do not sin again because otherwise, we will gradually drift again into the same sin.

The first step to take is to deal with where all sin begins, in the mind. 

Among the Native Americans, there is a story of a father who said there were two wolves fighting within him, one bad and one good.

His son asked which wolf wins and the father said whichever one he feeds the most.

Sin begins in the mind.

We need to feed our minds with what is good instead of what is bad. 

Technology in many forms, in TV, internet sites, social media, and so many other ways, often feed our minds with bad stuff that leads us toward sin. 

Sin begins in the mind, from there it moves on to become an action, from there it moves on to become a lifestyle, habits are formed, and then it affects us in eternity.

Jesus said not to sin again.

We need to begin by feeding our minds with what is good instead of with what is trash, rubbish, evil, and sinful.

I challenge you, as I challenge myself…

·      This Lent and before Easter, make a commitment to go to confession if you have not already done so, and then to regularly go to confession

·      To stop exposing our minds to things that draw us to sin.  

·      To expose and fill our minds with what is good, holy, and honest. And to pray, especially right now, that God helps us to understand how sin darkens our soul, separates us from Him, harms His entire Church, and that through His grace, and only through His grace, that we can be healed, strengthened, and will be able to avoid temptation and to sin no more. 

Men's Spiritual Opportunity - Lent 2025

 

The Beatitudes

 

Homily (6th Sunday Ordinary Time - Year C)

Today's Gospel speaks of the Beatitudes, the Blessings.

We have all heard these passages before, some of us 100's of times, but have we ever really understood their meaning?

In the Gospel, Saint Luke draws a distinction in the opening lines between “The Large Gathering of Disciples” and “The Great Crowd of People.”

All of who came to either be cured of illness, or to hear the prophetic words of Jesus.

If we can imagine a world with little scientific knowledge, no antibiotics, and very few doctors, it is easy to understand the motives of the crowd seeking healing.

There must have been a great many people willing to grasp at any straw to be cured.

And a healer like Jesus, who seemed to have complete power over any affliction, and could cure any disease with just the words from his mouth, must have seemed like a gift from heaven to them.

These were people crying out in need, these were the truly poor, and so often we read of how Jesus' heart went out to them.

The crowd of Disciples on the other hand, were those who wanted to hear what Christ has to say.

They didn't especially desire a cure, perhaps they had already received one, but they were more attracted to his revolutionary teaching.

They wanted to know more, they wanted something much greater than a healing, they wanted the key to eternal life.

Waiting patiently for Jesus to come down from the hill where he had gone to pray, these disciples must have been hoping to hear more words of wisdom and inspiration from him.

The atmosphere must have been electric.

Jesus had just finished the night in prayer, having just selected the 12 Apostles, and now returning he focuses his eyes not on poor, but upon His disciples to give them yet another teaching.

The teaching that the disciples waited so long to hear must have come upon them as a bombshell.

To understand the significance of this teaching we must first understand who these disciples were.

The disciples would probably have been the equivalent of the middle class of today.

They were not hurting, they had no need for a cure, they could afford to travel, and they had no hesitation waiting around to hear Jesus speak.

These were no common people desperate for their next piece of bread.

And Jesus says to them: Blessed are you who are poor, hungry, and weeping.

What... They must have been shocked.

This was not the expected teaching.

These people were not poor, hungry, or weeping.

They must have been staggered to hear Jesus comparing them so unfavorably to the surrounding crowd of the sick and poor who were crying out for healing.

So, what was the message to the disciples, and what is the message for all of us here today?

Jesus is telling us that the very values that we hold so dear, prosperity, security, happiness, and everything we strive so hard to achieve for our children and ourselves are practically worthless when it comes to considering the values of the Kingdom of God.

It actually is poverty, starvation, and sorrow that are at the top of his list.

And he goes on to say: “happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, call you a criminal, on account of the Son of Man.”

WOW!

We crave respect, acceptance, honor, and respectability, and Jesus tells us that the very opposite is what will gain us the Kingdom of Heaven.

And even those welcome words of the gospel: “On account of the son of Man”, doesn't give us much comfort.

We don't want to be unliked, persecuted, or laughed at.

In fact, we will do almost anything to avoid it; it doesn't really matter on whose account it is for.

Isn't this really true about us.

We don't even need to hear the rest of the Gospel message:

“Alas for you who are rich, had your fill, or laugh, or when people speak well of you,” We know that this actually means more of the same.

And these are called the Beatitudes – The Blessings!

This is supposed to be Good News!

It surely is good news for the poor and the needy, really good news for them, but is it good news for rest of us?

Now we have come to the core of the matter.

And the point is that the Christian life takes us where we don't expect.

Sometimes where we don't want to go, and it demands a very great deal from us.

It demands that we give up our cozy assumptions; it demands that we take the harder road; it demands that we really do live for others and not for ourselves.

These are difficult teachings and none of us ever really manage to live up to them successfully, but we know in our hearts that this is what Jesus desires.

This is real Christianity.

What Christ desires of us is so counter-cultural, if we truly lived what he teaches, most people would think we have lost it.

Yet who are we to listen to: the world, or Christ?

In Closing, and Returning to the message of the Gospel and the message for us today.

You must decide: Are you the poor, the hungry, or the sick, that are to hear the reassuring message that you are blessed, and that your reward will be great in heaven.

Or are you like the disciples, finding it difficult to hear and believe Christ's words that your life is actually inferior to those who seem beneath you?

Not unlike the Disciples waiting to hear Jesus' words, they wanted to know the key to eternal life, so is our desire as well.

Today we have heard it!

Are we listening?

Are we willing to hear and apply Christ's message to our lives?

Do we truly desire eternal life?

Do we truly desire to follow Christ?

The Beatitudes are blessings only if we apply them to our lives.

The Gospel message is the Good news for all who believe that Christ is our Lord and Savior, for all who follow his way, and For All who listen and respond.

The Epiphany of the Lord

 

The Epiphany of the Lord

Is 60:1-6, Mt 2:1-12

The Gospel today is rich with symbols:

 

• The Journey,

• the Personalities from distant lands,

• the star, its disappearance and reappearance,

• the gifts,

• the difficulties,

• the dream….

 

All have a unique meaning, especially for Christians, and if contemplated can lead us to where it led the Magi:

 

To Faith in Christ.

 

Faith is indeed a long journey, a life-long one.

 

This Faith journey leads us from the security of the “Lands” we are familiar with, to a far-off place where the rules of the game are very different.

 

It requires courage to set out on such a journey when we could stick to the comfort and security of home and “do just what everyone else does.”

 

It requires us to persevere and continue the journey, especially when it is not clear where we are going…. because with all real journeys of faith, more often than not, the specific route and destination is unclear.

 

But where does such faith come from?

 

I think we all understand that it can’t be purchased, or even earned.

 

Faith in Christ is a grace; or rather it is the grace of all graces.

 

A gift given to us.

 

But this gift is not to be kept for ourselves, it comes with responsibility.

 

I was once told that to whom much had been given, much is expected.

 

We are all called to share this gift.

 

And in sharing this gift, this gift of faith, our primary responsibility is to be a personal witness of what it contains.

 

We are responsible for doing what we can in the sphere of our own lives so that the light of Christ shines through us to others.

 

• However, someone who is constantly bad-humored, or self-centered, or continually sad, is not a sign that God lives within them.

 

• Nor someone whose behavior and conversation is coarse and lewd and who profanes everything he sets his eyes upon or turns his tongue toward, he is not a sign that the sacredness and the beauty of God is within him.

 

• Nor someone who destroys her neighbor’s reputation on a daily basis; She will not inspire others to say, “Look how they love one another.”

 

• Nor will someone who lives only to have more of the “stuff” of this world, be likely to make people catch a glimpse of the world to come.

 

We must honestly ask ourselves:  “What or who do I represent to those around me? 

 

And am I, a transparent window into what can be seen as the City of God?”

Today’s readings also show us that Christ is for all, for everyone.

 

And that the church must be a city placed on a mountain top so all can see and all can come.

 

This church involves each of us.

 

Every Christian, and more so, every Catholic, Is this church.

 

Each one of us is the church in the sense of being the place where Christ dwells and is to be revealed to those who do not know him.

 

So let us ask ourselves,

 

“Do I really believe that I am the dwelling place of God?”

 

“Do I have such faith?”

 

Many of us were born into a Christian family and it is difficult to appreciate how great the gift of “Faith” actually is.

 

It is easy to take for granted, and we often fail to exercise it.

 

And as we fail to recognize and utilize this gift, it can grow weak, and then we are only capable of short journeys with few or no difficulties.

 

Perhaps we can’t even travel past the everyday obstacles to find Christ our Lord.

 

Whether it is due:

 

• to a health problem,

• or that difficult sister-in-law,

• or the way that particular priest celebrates mass,

• or that particular habit my wife or husband has,

 

we have such little “strength of faith” that we lose our way.

 

Many people think of the New Year as a time for a new start, and for some it is, but in reality, we have all been on a journey for years,

 

• and we choose who or what we are searching for,

• who or what we follow,

• and who or what we desire.

 

The Magi have shown us through example, that when Christ calls, and we focus on him rather than on ourselves, we can persevere.

 

Even at times when the star seems hidden, with faith, it will reappear, and as we journey in faith, we will, come upon –

 

“The Savior of the World.”

 

So in conclusion……this gift of faith that has been given to each one of us awaits a response.

 

And like the Magi, God speaks personally to us as well, if only we will listen and believe!

 

Rise up in splendor, Jerusaelm!

 

Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.

 

See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears His glory.

Fatherhood

A few years ago my Spiritual Director shared a riddle with me and then sent me away to ponder the riddle until our next meeting.


Here is the riddle:

What is stronger than God,

More evil than the devil,

Poor people have it,

Rich people don’t need it,

And if you eat it, you will die.

 

I thought and thought about the riddle and then I finally figured it out, the answer is “Nothing.”

What is stronger than God,

More evil than the devil,

Poor people have it,

Rich people don’t need it,

And if you eat it, you will die.

A riddle can also be called a parable. Parables are stories that leave the listener without an answer. Jesus liked to use parables in his teaching and often left the disciples to try and figure out the meaning of such stories. And here we are today, some 2000 years later, still trying to figure out just what Jesus meant when he told the story of The Wedding Feast, The Dishonest Steward, The Good Samaritan, and even The Mustard Seed.

A wise theologian once said that we can not comprehend the parables of Jesus until we see ourselves in the story. Like a small child, recognizing herself in the mirror for the first time, when we see ourselves represented in the story, then we finally get it.

Then we realize that we are:

• the rebellious son who ran away with his father’s fortune,

• or the Levite who passed by the beaten man on the road to Jericho,

• or even the foolish man who built his home on sand instead of rock.

Once we see ourselves in the story, the story then takes on a whole new meaning, and we learn a little more about ourselves, and more about God. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the second parable in Today’s Gospel that speaks of the Kingdom of God:

“With what can we compare the Kingdom of God, what parable will we use for it?  It’s like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground is the smallest of all seeds on the earth; yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes the greatest of all plants, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in it’s shade.”

Was the point of the parable that something small can grow into something great? Was Jesus perhaps saying that a small baby that was born in a humble stable would grow up to become a Savior, and people would find comfort and security in him? Could Jesus have been saying that this Church, which began with just a tiny gathering of fearful men in a small, upper room in Jerusalem, would one day become a gathering of millions of faith filled people? Or could this parable mean that if we only had faith the size of a mustard seed, our faith would mature and grow, and would be enough to bring us to everlasting life? That is what is so wonderful about parables, there can be many different interpretations and meanings, and God has left it up to each one of us to figure it out for ourselves.

Today, However, I want to suggest another possible interpretation of the Parable of the Mustard Seed on this Father’s day. Could it be that the mustard seed is the child in our midst? We all know how much Jesus loved children, and how he would call them to him, even as the disciples tried at times to keep them away. Could Jesus be using the words of a parable to remind the fathers of every age that our children are our greatest gift, and our greatest responsibility? These children, these mustard seeds, are to be nourished, encouraged, protected, and guided, until they can grow to become the greatest of all plants.

But as Dads, we often become distracted and can fall short.

• We often work long hours to provide for our families and don’t have time or energy to play catch or help with school projects.
• We often are annoyed by our kid’s music and ask them to wear head phones shutting them out.
• We often try to mold them into what we want them to be, missing their uniqueness, and failing to support their dreams.

Assuming for a minute that Jesus told The Mustard Seed Parable to serve as a timeless reminder to fathers, there are also a few things I believe to be true as well:

• That the best way to love our children is to love, honor, and respect their mother.

• That the best gift we can give our children is a sense of safety and security as they grow up.

• That it is more important to give them our time, not our money.

• That it is more important to be respected by them, than to be liked by them.

• That it is more important to encourage them in their interests, than to require them to share in ours.

• And it is us, fathers, who are to teach, model, and live our Catholic faith fervently as the spiritual leaders of the home.

Like it or not Men, our actions speak volumes about us to our kids. They see everything we do, and what we don’t do, and they learn from us. They will always love their mother, but they will want to be like you. We have been given this great gift; some biological, some adopted, and some just placed in our lives.

Fathers play an irreplaceable role in the lives of children, and without their influence, lives of children are seriously affected. Just look around, look at a culture where so many homes are father-less. Look at how many children struggle without that Spiritual Leader in their midst.

With so many riddles in the world, the answers are often found in the examples of those who model for us God’s love, strength, and virtue. And as Saint Paul states in the 2nd reading, for we walk by faith, not by sight, and we aspire to please Him.

As mothers are the heart and love of the home, fathers are to be the spiritual leaders of the family, just as Saint Joseph was the spiritual leader of the holy family.

The Father who through his actions and example:

• nourishes his children,

• helps them to grow,

• at times may find a need to prune,

• but ultimately will form them with large branches

• and then, can joyfully witness how others will come to dwell in their shade.

Fathers, you are the reflection of Christ to your children, young and old:

• serve them well,

• fulfill your responsibilities,

• watch those seeds grow into something great, great in the eyes of God,

• and then, in this life and in the next, you Truly will be blessed.

Happy Father’s Day!