3rd Sunday in Lent, Year B – Homily

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3rd Sunday in Let, Year B
Exodus 20:1-17
1 Corinthians 1:22-25
John 2:13-25
March 8, 2015

We generally don’t think of Jesus as getting angry but today we hear that “He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple.”  What made Jesus so upset?

They have turned His Father’s House, meaning the Temple, into a marketplace.

It might have started with good intentions.  At least, that is probably what the merchants were saying.  They would have said they were there to provide a service to the Temple Visitors.

After all, when people came to the Temple, they had to have the right type of currency to pay their Temple Tax.  The currency the people used in everyday life would have been different so the money changers were “needed.”

Likewise, those who will there selling sheep and doves probably would have said they were to sell the animals to those who had come to offer sacrifice and needed the livestock.

It might have started with good intentions.  What I have said can make some sense in human terms.  Some might see as good wisdom.  So, again, why did Jesus get upset?

The money-changing and livestock sales had gone beyond providing a service and became a business in itself.  Also, it did not need to happen in the Temple.  Surely, there must have been someplace nearby that the merchants could have set up shop.

Setting up in the Temple itself, the activities detracted from the real purpose of the Temple as a place to worship God.  The First Commandments are about our relationship with God.  Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is to love God.  The first three of the ten focus on loving God.

The First Commandment tells us to worship God alone.  For the Jews, worship included offering sacrifices but it had become more about the action than real worship of the Lord.  I bet people were spending more time in the “marketplace” then they did offering real worship.  In doing so, the marketplace became their god.

The Second Commandment says not to take the Lord’s name in vain.  On a simple level we take this to mean not to use curse words, especially not to use the Lord’s name as a curse word.  It includes that but it is to be more.  People would take oaths in the Lord’s name and then not fulfill their oath, discrediting their promise made in faith.

The Third Commandment is to keep the Sabbath holy.  The rules about the Sabbath were very stringent against doing any work.  Remember the stories about when people criticized Jesus for healing on the Sabbath because they considered it forbidden work?

This part of keeping the Sabbath holy goes back to the first story of creation in the first chapter of Genesis.  God created the world in six days and resting on the Sabbath.

God did not rest simply to get away from the office.  God did not rest from work because He was tired.  God didn’t take off a day from work to do something else.  God rested to reflect on and appreciate what He had created.

Do we need a day of physical rest?  Sure but how many of us get?  Sure, you have the day off from work but how many of us just fill up our day with something else?

How well do we really make Sunday a Sabbath day?

Coming here for Mass is a vital part of it.  The Church still teaches that we are to come to Sunday Mass every week that we are healthy and the weather cooperates.  But does what we do the rest of the day follow what we do here?

It isn’t easy.  Some people have to work on Sunday.  It used to be on Sunday most of the stores were closed and there won’t be sports practices or games.  Now, lots of businesses are open on Sunday (and that means people have to work) and games and practices happen.

Why the change?

I think some of it is flows from fewer people comes to church and having any relationship with God.  If you don’t believe in God, then a Sabbath has no meaning.

For people who do come to church, we can feel between a rock and a hard place.  How can we keep a Sabbath, hold down a job, and participate in sports or other activities?

There is no easy answer to this.  We are in Lent right now as a time of preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  During this time, I just encourage you to think about what the Sabbath means to you and your relationship with God.

2nd Sunday in Lent, Year B – Homily

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2nd Sunday in Let, Year B
Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
Romans 8:31b-34
Mark 9:2-10
March 1, 2015

I’m not sure which is more astonishing to me, that God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac or that Abraham was willing to do it without hesitation.

Abraham had waited so long for a son.  Given the age of Sarah at the time of Isaac’s birth, clearly this was possible only by divine intervention.  Abraham saw Isaac as a gift from the Lord.  He could have wondered why God would now take the gift away.

Abraham doesn’t wonder.  Abraham does what God asks.  Of course, the good news is that God stops Abraham before Isaac is sacrificed.  In gratitude for God withdrawing His request, Abraham sacrifices the ram.

Abraham serves as a model of faith for us but we should realize that Abraham’s faith wasn’t always perfect.  Do you remember Haggai (Sarah’s servant) and Ishmael?  Abraham always had faith but his faith and trust grew.

With the birth of Isaac, Abraham knew he could count on God to always keep His promises, every when it seemed impossible.

What does Paul say?  “If God is for us, who can be against us.”  Paul wasn’t always a good Christian.  In fact, he was among those who persecuted the Christians but Paul allowed God to change him.

Do we need to change?

Looking at the gospel, we read of Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain.  Jesus is both human and divine.  Normally, his physical appearance was human but here Peter, James, and John were allowed to see Him in his divine form, the glory that we will see in Him in Heaven.

We are created to be with Jesus in His glory but we are not ready, are we?  What sins have we committed?

As Catholics with a belief in the Real Presence in the Eucharist, we should be very much aware of the words that are said in the Eucharistic Prayer asking God to send His Holy Spirit upon the bread and wine that they may become the Body and Blood of Jesus.  Are you also aware of words in the Eucharistic Prayers that ask God to transform us like “so that the human race may become holy, just as you yourself are holy”?

We are to be transformed by the Eucharist we receive, so that we live as members of the Body of Christ.

All of the sacraments are about us being transformed.

In Baptism, we are made children of God.  In Marriage, two become one flesh.  These Sacraments happen once but we are in need of ongoing transformation in our lives.

Confirmation is seen as a sacrament of maturity.  Sometimes that is interpreted to mean we know all that we need to know.  We don’t.

For instance, our RCIA participants have been working to learn more about what our faith teaches and how we are to live.  At the Easter Vigil, they will complete their Sacraments of Initiation but it will not be an end.  It will be a new beginning of life in Christ.

Even after Baptism, Confirmation, and First Eucharist, we remain imperfect.  We still need to grow in our relationship with Jesus.  We need to be continually transformed so that one day we can be in Heaven and share in Jesus’ glory revealed in the Transfiguration.

It isn’t easy.  God knows that and gives us the Sacrament of the Eucharist to strengthen us.

God knows we are imperfect.  He knows we sin and so He gives us the gift of the Sacrament of Reconciliation where he transforms us so that we might be restored to right relationship with Him.

The battle against temptation is ongoing.  It is a battle that we cannot win on our own but if we give our whole self to Jesus, He can redeem us but, again we need to turn our whole lives over to Him.  Abraham did not hold anything back, including his own Son.

Is there something we hold back on?

God holds nothing back when He gives his Son for us.

The battle of life in this world can seem like too much for us to win but God is on own side and if God is for us, who can be against us.

Let us turn our whole lives to Him who saves us.

1st Sunday in Lent, Year B

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1st Sunday in Let, Year B
Genesis 9:8-15
1 Peter 3:18-22
Mark 1:12-15
February 22, 2015

Jesus had just been baptized by John in the Jordan River.  One might think it would have been time to celebrate.  However, instead of a celebration, we are told that, “The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert.”

Why?  We see the desert as an unpleasant place without food or water, a place without much life.  As such, the desert can be a place of trial.

It was in the desert that Jesus faced forty days of temptation from Satan.  Think about how you would have felt in the desert without much food or drink and the threat of “wild beasts.”  All Satan would have to do to tempt one would be to offer them food and water or protection from the wild beasts.  Would you have been able to resist the temptation?

Jesus did.

Temptation is nothing new.  Neither is sin.  We hear of both in the very beginning when Adam and Eve lived in the Garden.  They were tempted by Satan to eat the fruit of the one tree that was prohibited.  They failed to resist the temptation and, hence, the original sin.

It was the first sin but it was not the last sin.  Not long after came Cain and Abel, the ultimate case of sibling rivalry.  Things only got worse from there.  Sin became so prevalent that God chose to send a great flood to cleanse the Earth.  Only Noah and his family survived.

Can you imagine living in fear of another flood every time it rained?

After the flood was over, God promised Noah that He would never again destroy the world for sin by a flood.  As a sign of His promise, God set his bow in the sky.  This is the rainbow that we sometimes see in the sky after a rainstorm.

We can hear of legends of leprechauns hiding their pot of god at the end of the rainbow.  Hearing this, one wonders how to find the end of the rainbow to get the treasure.

Viewed in the light of the story of the Great Flood, the rainbow does represent a great treasure but it is not gold.  It is something that makes gold worthless.  The treasure represented in the rainbow is God’s love.  What greater treasure can there be?

When we are baptized, we become adopted children of God and heirs to the treasure of God.  We might like to think that once we are baptized, life will suddenly become glorious and without temptation.  Remember Jesus in the desert?  It was after His baptism that He faced Satan’s temptation.

This Sunday at the 10:30 Mass we will celebrate the Rite of Sending for the people in our RCIA program.  They span from around ten years old to over sixty.  Some have baptized, some have not but they all have been making this journey towards faith in Jesus when, at the Easter Vigil, they will complete the Sacraments of Initiation.

In receiving the Rite of Sending this weekend and next weekend the Rite of Election with our Bishop, they begin their final preparation for the Sacraments.

Here we find the origin of Lent.  Initially Lent was a special time simply for those joining the Church at Easter but the Church can to realize how we all need a time of examination and renewal.  This is a time to reflect on how we are living out our lives.  Are we following Jesus?  Do we have sins we need to confess?  Are we winning against temptation?

It would be nice to say we are always winning the battle against temptation but that isn’t the reality, is it?

A few days ago we celebrated Ash Wednesday.  As the ashes were placed on our foreheads, we hear the words, Repent and Believe in the Gospel!  These are the words Jesus said at the end of today’s gospel.  Do you repent?  Do you believe in the gospel?

Finally!

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After several weeks of work, I am happy to announce the launch of our redesigned website.  It’s the same address (www.renewaloffaith.org) with a fresh new look.  Please note that the blog address has been updated to https://blog.renewaloffaith.org/blog).

While redesigning the website I have added two new pages:

I’m still working out the kinks, so let me know if you have any problems.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily

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6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46
1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1
Mark 1:40-45
February 15, 2015

Jesus continues to heal people.  Today it is a leper.  Jesus heals lots of people and most of them we are never told what their illness is.  Today we are told it is leprosy.  Why do the gospel writers take the time to specify leprosy?

Leprosy certainly was a terrible disease.  Many who got the disease were never cured and it was a very contagious disease.  Anyone with the disease had to be isolated for the safety of others.  So, it could mean a lifetime of isolation.

The leper would have violated the rules by going near any person but here he goes right up to Jesus and kneels before Him and begs Jesus to make him clean.

What is Jesus’ response?  The expected response would have been to shun the man away.  Jesus does not.  In fact, He touches the man.  For touching the man, Jesus would have become unclean himself.

Why does Jesus touch the man?  Jesus heals some people without ever going near them.  Won’t leprosy be a perfect reason to heal a person without going near them so you didn’t catch it yourself?

The touch is important.  This man would have been isolated from everyone including family and friends.  He would have been all alone.  Jesus’ touch was a touch of love and compassion.  I would imagine it was a powerful sign to the leper of Jesus’ love.

Generally, we don’t have people today get diseases like leprosy as it is described in the Bible.  Now, there are illnesses where people are isolated but generally it is for a few days at most and it is medically appropriate to do so.

However, when we think about what it means to live in isolation we should look beyond medical illnesses and think about other people that we, perhaps without ever meaning it, put into isolation or shun them.

How about the homeless?  When you see the person that looks unclean holding a sign asking for help do you go out of your way to avoid them?  Do you ignore them?  Or do you say a prayer for them? Do you do anything to help them?

How about illegal immigrants?  Do you see them as lawbreakers to be removed or do you see them as people in desperate situations?

How about the mentally ill?  Do you avoid them just because you don’t know what to do for them?  Here is an area that I struggle with because I don’t know what to do to help them.  I have to realize that I don’t have the gifts to help everyone but I can’t use that as an excuse to shun them.  Even when we don’t have the gifts to help, we should not shun them.  We should love them and pray for them.

How about parolees?  Here can be a difficult one.  We have every right to protect ourselves but how do we protect ourselves and still the person a chance to become a better person?

I remember a few years ago the true story of a man who had been in prison for a long time.  When he got out he didn’t have much in the way of job skills.  People won’t hire him because of his criminal record.  Finding a place to live was difficult at best.  He seemed to be in a desperate situation just to get by, let alone become a good person.

What did he do?  Honestly, he went into a bank and told the teller he was there to rob it and then waited for the police to come.

He didn’t see any other option.  In prison he had a bed to sleep in.  He didn’t have to worry about how to get food.  He was safe.

We need to protect ourselves but how do we do this and give people the help they need, the help they deserve as God’s children?

That’s what Jesus would do.

Lent starts on Wednesday.  We will fast and abstain from meat.  We will give up something.  Maybe we should take some time to think about how we act to others.  Who do you shun?

Supporting Women – Public Policy Weekend Homily

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5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Job 7:1-4, 6-7
1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23
Mark 1:29-39
February 8, 2015

Public Policy – Supporting Women

Are women important?

Apparently Mark thought so when he wrote this gospel.  Often we are not told much about the people that Jesus heals.  Here the story is written in a way to clearly indicate it is a woman that Jesus heals.  We should also note that this is among the first of Jesus’ healings, again emphasizing the important of a woman being healed.

We must see women as important.  Women are our mothers, wives, and daughters.  It is from the womb of women that life emerges.  Even in the Old Testament in the midst of a very patriarchal culture, we hear of great women like Deborah in the Book of Judges.  There are books in the Bible like Ruth and Judith named after women.  Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus makes a point to include women even though in those days genealogy was tracked through the male side.

Unfortunately, even today some women are treated poorly.  Women can be treated as mere objects for slavery or for lustful acts in human trafficking where they are bought and sold like goods in a store.  Today is actually the memorial of St. Josephine Bakhita who herself was a slave for many years.  Pope Francis has called for today to be a day of prayer for the end of human trafficking.

All life is a precious gift but yet pregnant women can face discrimination at work.  Women (and men) can be treated unfairly when they ask for time off for their children.

Women (and men) can missed out on advancement opportunities when some employers see their children as hindrances to the parent giving “their all” to their job.

Women don’t always get paid equal wages for equal work.  Women can be discriminated against for housing when they are the victims of domestic violence.  When seeking orders of protection, they have to stand before their abuser in court.

We need to speak up for women (and men) who face drudgery and misery and simple unfairness.  It is part of our baptismal call to speak up for the disadvantaged.

This year our diocese has chosen as its public policy issue to support women.  Hopefully you have seen the articles and insert in the bulletin in recent weeks.  For the last couple of years the governor has put forth legislature with ten points supporting some of the issues I have mentioned.  Nine of the ten points are important and in keeping with our Catholic faith.

Point ten would expand abortion and allow non-medical personnel to perform abortions.  So the Catholic Church has stood opposed to it and asked for the other nine points to be voted on separately.

This year bills have been presented doing this.  The State Senate has actually already passed a bill with the nine points in it.  It is now up to the Assembly to deliberate and vote.  So our petitions are geared to the assembly this year, asking them to vote for the nine points.

This is important.  I hope you have read the material in the bulletin.  The same material is also available on our diocesan website.  This week, Suzanne Stack from our diocese will be speaking at St. Catherine’s (information in the bulletin) about these issues.

After Mass today, members of our Service Team are here to direct you to the petitions.  We will have tables on both sides up front and one in back.

Sometimes it just seems simpler to not get involved.  We like to avoid controversy but if we don’t stand up and speak out, how can we expect anything to change.

God has given us the gift of life and with it an inherent dignity for all men and women.  Do we do what we can so that others have not just life but a good life?

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily

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4th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
1 Corinthians 7:32-35
Mark 1:21-28
February 1, 2015

Moses was a great authority for his leadership among the Israelites.  He was the one who acted as an intermediary between God and the people. He was the one who received the Ten Commandments from the Lord.

Moses was seen as an authority on all matters of faith.  As he write the Book of Deuteronomy, the Israelites are preparing to enter the Promised Land but Moses will not go with him.  He will die as the people enter the Promised Land.

Knowing he will not be going with them, Moses speaks of an authority to come after him.  He is immediately succeeded by Joshua.  Joshua, in turn, is succeeded by a series of “judges” and then by a series of kings down through the ages.  None of them lend as Moses did.

Now here comes Jesus.  As he speaks to the people they are astonished at his teaching.  Why?  Normally the scribes did much of the teaching.  They were the ones with the official schooling to do so.  As scribes, they were part of the official authorities of the church.

So it is peculiar that the people would see him “as one having authority and not as the scribes.”  It would seem that while the scribes had authority from their position, they did not earn the respect of the people.

Whatever they felt was missing in the scribes, they found in Jesus.  Perhaps it was creditability.  The scribes taught from the Hebrew Scriptures but some did not practice what they preached.  They commanded obedience but did little to help the people.  They were prideful about their status.  They were supposed to be the religious experts but they fell short in a true understanding of what the scriptures meant.

Now, here comes Jesus.  He does not speak pride fully. He shows compassion for the poor and helps people in need.  He shows he cares.  He speaks from the heart.  In him the people see authority that they want to listen to.

Where do you turn to for authority on religious matters?

Ideally, I have some authority on religious matters but I have to admit I don’t know everything, nobody does.  Do I speak with creditability?  I hope so.  I try to practice what I preach but I struggle.

Certainly our bishop holds a position of authority in our church along with the pope.  We can read the documents they write and listen to what they have to say but we aren’t likely to get to ask the Pope questions of faith individually.  Even with the bishop, this doesn’t happen much.

I try to do what I can but I know it isn’t enough.  Where else can we try for answers about our faith?

We should start with the Bible, words inspired by God, and then the Catechism of the Catholic Church and related writings but I think more and more people are going to the Internet for answers.

There is good information available on the Internet.  You can find the Bible and the Catechism there.  You can also find a vast array of the documents written by the popes on the Vatican website.  There are lots of Catholic organizations with websites along with individuals like myself posting information on the Internet.

Can we count on it all being good information?  No.  Anyone can post on the Internet.  I remember when I first came back to church and I went to look something upon the Internet.  Honestly, I don’t even remember what I was looking for.  I typed in what I was looking for in an Internet search engine and clicked on the first website that came up.  As I read, it wasn’t sure it was what I was looking for.  As I read I came across a sentence that referred to the Catholic Church as a “false religion,” definitely not what I was looking for.

Unfortunately it isn’t always that easy to know when material isn’t good.  People can write like experts and have no real education.  Others write deliberately or to mislead.  There are some people who don’t understand themselves.

How are we supposed to know who to listen to?

Obviously the popes are good authorities but even there we have to consider who is writing.  The news media seems to be taking Pope Francis out of context a lot.

With others we need to do some research to know who is writing but I think step one can begin with asking the question, does what the person writes agree with what I already know?  Does it agree with the Bible?  Does it refer to Bible passages or official church documents?  If not, where does their information come from?

We need to put effort into learning more about our faith but we need to get our information from people speaking with true authority.  What do you do to come closer to God?

 

 

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily

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3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Jonah 3:1-5, 10
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Mark 1:14-20
January 25, 2015

Having been baptized and following the arrest of John the Baptist, Jesus begins his mission to proclaim the gospel of God.  In the three lines that follow (This is the time of fulfillment.  The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel) we find a summary of everything Jesus is about.  It’s time to change.

Immediately Jesus begins to call disciples.  He calls Simon and Andrew, and James and John, all who immediately respond.  They don’t ask any questions, like what it means to follow Jesus or what will it take, how much will they need to give up.  Without questions they follow Jesus.  Remarkable!

Going back a few hundred years earlier we hear the story of Jonah.  The Word came to Jonah to go and preach God’s message to the Ninevites.  Seemingly, without even knowing the message he will preach, Jonah heads for Nineveh.  Another great response to God by a disciple!

Well, actually there is a little more to the story.  I did say seemingly right?

This reading picks up halfway through the Book of Jonah.  Remember the story of Jonah and the large fish?  It happens before this.

Sometimes the story of Jonah and the “whale” is told as a children’s story but do you remember why Jonah ended up in the belly of the fish?

What we heard in today’s reading is not the first time the Lord called Jonah.  The first time Jonah tried to run and hide.  He ended up in the belly of the fish as corrective punishment.  Jonah had some time to think while in the fish.  He repented.  So when God calls him a second time, Jonah goes.

We should ask ourselves why Jonah refused at first to deliver God’s message.  One might think he was scared.  Being a prophet is not an easy task.  Telling people they are sinning and must repent is not a way to become popular.

However, in Jonah’s case, fear is the not his primary motive for trying to run and hide.  He knows God wants him to tell the Ninevites that they will be punished if they continue to sin.  Jonah doesn’t want to tell them because he knows if he does, they will repeat and God will not punishment.  Jonah’s problem is that he wants them punished.

Jonah preached a message of destruction that led to the people repented in sackcloth and fasting.  John the Baptist called people to repentance.  Jesus called people to repent.

What do we do with the call to repentance?

Do we change our own ways?  Do we even listen to see if we need to change or do we just assume we must be right?  Just because everyone else is doing the same thing doesn’t make it right.  Look at the city of Nineveh.  The whole city was sinning and didn’t even realize it because it seemed “normal” to them.

What’s the saying, if everyone else jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?

Everyone else doing it doesn’t make it right.

We need to listen to God to know what is right.

How about sharing the message to call others to repent?  Do we?  Are we afraid?  The fear can be real as not all church teaching is popular.  I often struggle to know when to preach an unpopular message and to find the right words.  So I pray for the wisdom and understanding to know the right words and the courage to say them.

Now, none of you have to stand up in front of the entire congregation to preach but how about in your family, small groups, or even just one on one.  Will you speak God’s words or do you just try and keep the peace, often by saying nothing?  The problem here is that saying nothing can often be interpreted as saying it’s OK.  Conversely, we don’t need to get in fights over it.  We say what needs to be said and left it at that.

Backing back to Jonah, he didn’t want to preach repentance because he wanted the Ninevites destroyed.  Do we act the same way?  Perhaps at work, we don’t speak up so someone else gets into trouble and then we can get their job.  Or how about with our siblings?  Do we point out when they are doing something wrong or do we let them get into trouble just to see them punished?

Repentance.  It’s something we all need to think about.

 

 

 

 

Celebrating the Gift of Life on January 22nd

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Today is January 22nd.  That means people have gathered for the March for Life in Washington, DC.  I heard on the radio this morning that they are expecting 650,000 people, a massive display for the gift of life.  The March For Life is not specifically a Catholic event.  There were numerous Masses last night and this morning in Washington, DC for life with many bishops, priests, and faithful Catholic parishioners attending but there are numerous other denominations and groups attending.

With January 22nd being the anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision allowing abortions, the March for Life focuses on life in the womb.  It is our faith that life begins at conception.  Even biologically speaking, at conception a living being is formed with a unique generic makeup that has never been seen before and will never be repeated.

People choose to have an abortion for various reasons.  Some have an abortion seeing the child in the womb as an inconvenience to be eliminated.  They do not see the baby as a life.  There are sometimes medical issues involved.  We must still value the life in the womb.  There are women who choose abortion because they fear they will not be able to provide for the child once it is born.  Much is said against abortion.  Indeed, much must be said against abortion but if we want to stand up for life in the womb, we must stand up for all life.

This means offering support to parents with new children.  It also means helping people to see value in their own lives.  When I was in seminary, I remember a conversation I had with a person at I place I volunteered at it.  He actually said to me that he felt he would have been better off if his mother had chosen to have an abortion when she was pregnant with him.  He didn’t have a great life growing up, had fallen into drugs, and ended up with HIV.  Certainly all troubling things but life itself is still a gift.  We need to help people see the good in life.

Let us pray all cherish the gift of life.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily

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2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19
1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20
John 1:35-42
January 18, 2015

Standing with some of his disciples, John the Baptist sees Jesus walk by and immediately points his disciples to Jesus with the words “Behold, the Lamb of God”.  John has no interest in keeping his disciples to himself.  He ministers to lead people to Jesus.

When Andrew and the other disciple hear John’s words, they immediately follow Jesus.  Jesus asks them, “What are you looking for?”  In their response they call Him “Rabbi” showing they recognize He is someone special.

Without really answering His question they ask Jesus where He is staying.  This question isn’t a simple matter or geography or looking for lodging.  The place could signify something about who Jesus really is and what He is doing.  Jesus invites them to come and see.

In coming to church, we are, in effect, coming to see Jesus.  What are we looking for?  Are we looking for a miracle worker to do us a favor and then move on without obligation?  Coming here, as we just looking for something to make us feel good for a little bit?  Do we come here seeking a God who agrees with our beliefs?

There’s nothing wrong in asking for miracles but are we willing to commit to a relationship with Jesus, trusting in whatever He does for us, great miracle or otherwise?

Some people would like Mass to make us feel “warm and fuzzy inside”.  Coming to Mass should help us feel better but not just “warm and fuzzy” on a superficial level but by drawing us into a deeper relationship with God that transcends earthly things.  The “warm and fuzzy feeling” can be nice but it doesn’t always last very long.  Jesus invites us to a deeper joy.

Do we expect God to agree with us?  Won’t things be great if God saw things our way so we can living the way we want?

Do you want to know something?  I don’t things would be that great if God would just do things our way.  I know I am not perfect and what I want isn’t always what is best.  What is convenient for me isn’t always right. That’s why I come to Jesus, to seek His guidance.

Andrew and the others immediately followed Jesus.  They must have sensed something about Him to recognize Him as the Messiah.

I don’t always find it easy to know what Jesus is saying.  There are too many different voices out there.  Which one is Jesus?  It isn’t always easy to recognize Jesus’ voice.

Look at Samuel.  He is a dedicated servant of the Lord, even sleeping near the Ark of God.  God speaks to him three times but he does not recognize it as God’s voice.  He just assumes it must be Eli.  In time, Samuel will learn to recognize God’s voice but he must first build a deep relationship with the Lord.

Do we seek a deeper relationship with the Lord?  Are we willing to make God part of our whole life?  As Paul writes to the Corinthians, he realizes that they think some things they do don’t have any connection to their relationship with God.  In this case, Paul speaks to them of “immorality.”  As we read this, we can realize that Paul isn’t speaking of just any immorality but a specific category.  In this case, Paul is speaking about sexual behavior.  They think it doesn’t matter but it does because it says something about how we view other people.  Are they people to be treated with love and dignity or something we use for pleasure?

We need a deeper relationship with the Lord to understand such things.  I think a lot of people have a very general sense of what the Church teaches here but many don’t know specifics and many don’t know why?

I think the same can be true for a lot of things.  For instance, the annual March for Life will be this week.  I think a lot of people know the Church objects to abortion but don’t know why.  The same can be true for the death penalty and end of life issues.

I think we all need to learn more about how the Lord calls us to live and why.  It means putting some effort into reading Catholic teaching, not just what’s in the news or other people’s opinion.  What we hear at Mass is a starting point, not the whole point.

Step one begins with truly committing ourselves to the Lord, opening our heart and repeating Samuel’s words, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”