All Saints

Today we embark ont he last holy day of the liturgical year: All Saints day.  Through out the year we recall those heroes and heroins of faith who have given their life for the glory of God.

But today the named and the named stand together, the great cloud of witness, too numerous to count grabs our attention.  These are both those who are in heaven but also those on earth, those saintly souls daily losing their life for the sake of the kingdom.

We enter into the largeness of God's family on this Holy Day.

This Holy day is not a break in our routine as much as it is a pause in which we take a step back to recognize the living God who wants to break forth into our lives and fill the routine of our living with his presence daily.

We are reminded again that time is not measured simply by a 40 hour work day, the movement of the stars, the rotation of earth on its axis or the revolution of earth around the sun; rather time is determined by the creator of the stars; it is He who creates and sustains time as we know it.

A Holy Day brings us face to face with the beauty that is awaken by faith.  It is faith that gathers us, unites us in our differences, builds our community that transcends time and space, this great multitude.

I call your attention to question posed by the elder in the first reading, "who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?"

What a beautiful question posed as John peers into heaven.

Who are they and where did they come from?  In other words, How did they get here?  But in reality the question is meant for us, "How do we get there?"  How do we arrive where they are?

As the Psalmist points out, "Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord? or who can stand in his holy place?"

Jesus gives us the path way to ascend in the gospel as he lays out the Beatitudes.  We listen to him and we follow after him and simply repeat the process as we journey forth encouraged never discouraged no matter the circumstances we encounter.

The saints give us a pattern by which we are to pattern our lives.  They show us that the invitation to follow Christ is not just pie dream but a reality motivated simply by the desire to be near God.

As we celebrate we unite our journey to theirs as we march to the rhythm of eternity and thus we refuse to settle for 2nd best.  Onward we march with our eyes fixed upward and hearts beating with love for him who has loved us so.

a few words from the Pope:

 "today we contemplate the mystery of the communion of saints in heaven and on earth.  We are not alone; we are enfolded in a great cloud of witnesses...The glorious hosts of saints intercede for us before the Lord; they accompany us on our journey toward the kingdom; they urge us to keep our gaze fixed in Jesus...At the liturgy we are invited to share in the heavenly jubilation of the saints, to taste their joy.  (as we receive communion we have a foretaste of their communion with God)...The saints are not a small caste of chosen souls but an innumerable crowd to which we raise our eyes...as we look at the shining examples of the saints we are reawaken to the great longing to be like them; happy to live near God, in his light, in the great family of God's friends."  

To be a saint requires neither extraordinary actions or works nor the possession of exceptional charisms; rather simply to listen to Jesus and then to follow him without losing heart when difficulties arise.

what is the kingdom of God like?

EPhesians 5:21-33; Ps 128 Blessed are those who fear the Lord; Luke 13:18-21

What is the Kingdom of God like?

Here is a pretty good question.  Definitely food for thought!

What is the Kingdom of God like?

We hear about the kingdom often. Yet we are not quite sure what to make of it.  It is elusive.

Yet the phrase comes up some 120 plus times in the gospel.

We know one must become like a child to fully appreciate and enter into it.

We know it comes like a thief in the night.  We know it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

According to tst. Paul the kingdom of God is righteousness and peace in the Holy Spirit.

And the list goes on.

Jesus reminds us today that the kingdom is always growing.  He reminds us that it seems insignificant yet when put into effect it quickly becomes beyond our imagination.

It is a mustard seed and yeast that becomes the catalyst for something great.

Think about the diversity of birds that make their home in the bush that springs from the tiny mustard seed.

This is a lesson for all of us.  IT takes all kinds to build the kingdom of God.  Diversity is a necessary a part.  Diversity in temperaments, diversity in personality, diversity in up bringing, diversity in culture.  Yet there remains one home for faith to grow and mature.

As diverse as we are, there remains a unity of profession that ties us all together.  We cannot be diverse when it comes to truth and morals.

The false presumption postulated by secular society is that all roads lead to heaven.  But we know this to be all hype and no substance.  The narrow path is that path chosen by Christ for us.  There is a certain closed mindedness necessary for faith.

We do not accept everything though we do welcome everyone, is this is an important distinction if the kingdom is truly going to flourish.

humility

humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another in love...

this is the recipe for success in the eyes of St. Paul.

Here below find a snippet on humility:

At the state funeral of Ronald Reagan, the story was told of the time Reagan was in the hospital, recovering from the attempt on his life. An aide entering the room was alarmed to find him on hands and knees, wiping up some water he had spilled from the sink. "Mr. President!" exclaimed the aide, "We have people for this." Reagan simply replied that he didn't want the nurses getting into trouble because of water on the bathroom floor.

Few people get to meet a sitting (or kneeling) president, but even fewer of us know a genuinely humble soul. We're proud and self-centered by nature, and humility is an unnatural trait.

Sometimes the Lord has to use circumstances in life to foster humility in our hearts. If you're facing a situation right now that wasn't planned and isn't wanted, perhaps the Lord means to use it for good in your heart. Perhaps He's teaching you to trust Him, to lean on Him, to follow His way and not your own or to confess to Him your self-sufficiency and self-centeredness.

Be Blessed

Stewardship of God's grace

Ephesians 3:2-12; Ps You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation; Luke 12:39-48

Stewardship of God's grace.  Here is a reality we should meditate on.

This past Sunday the Church recognized formally seven saints, those who were true stewards of God's grace.

Here is a bit from Pope Benedict's homily,

"The Son of Man came to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (cf. Mk 10:45)
These words were the blueprint for living of the seven Blessed men and women that the Church solemnly enrols this morning in the glorious ranks of the saints. With heroic courage they spent their lives in total consecration to the Lord and in the generous service of their brethren. They are sons and daughters of the Church who chose a life of service following the Lord. Holiness always rises up in the Church from the well-spring of the mystery of redemption, as foretold by the prophet Isaiah in the first reading: the Servant of the Lord is the righteous one who "shall make many to be accounted as righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities" (Is 53:11); this Servant is Jesus Christ, crucified, risen and living in glory. Today’s canonization is an eloquent confirmation of this mysterious saving reality. The tenacious profession of faith of these seven generous disciples of Christ, their configuration to the Son of Man shines out brightly today in the whole Church."

This mirrors the sentiment of st. Paul in today's first reading,

"This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ JEsus our Lord, in whom we have boldness of speech and confidence of access through faith in him."

We have boldness of speech and confidence of access through faith in him.

We have been equipped.  We are bold.  We are confident.  we have access in faith.  We are stewards of God's grace.

What else do we need?

The mystery if redemption has been laid before our feet.

We now walk in the footsteps of the redeemer.

PErhaps we need a little more motivation.

JEsus reminds us in the gospel, "You must be prepared, for an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come...The servant who knew his master's will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly."

According to Christ, ever one gets a fair shake.  We should expect the unexpected.  We should be attentive to each moment.  We should not waste the gift we have been given.

We are stewards and we are called to be saints.
we cannot feign ignorance.  We cannot pretend we did not know.



Holiness is the name of the game and faithfulness is the rule that guides us.
This is the blueprint of life.

BE a steward of grace.

optimum

Ephesians 2:12-22; Ps 85  The Lord speaks of Peace to his people; Luke 12:35-38

"You were at the time without Christ, alienated from the community of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world.  But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have become near by the Blood of Christ."

Optimum and optimism are two realities that people often want to implement in their attitude.
They want to think the best of the situation or circumstance.  They want to believe that all will work out in the end, that everything is as it should be, that every moment is the optimum moment.

These are "half full" verse "half empty"  persons.

Optimism is a good quality but it is not hope.

Optimism finds its center in man and man's way of thinking and acting.  The problem with this is that optimism ends in the grave.  Ultimately the one who is optimistic  thinks that dust is the optimum condition of man because this is where it all leads.

Whether you are a half full or half empty persons one day the glass will be dry.

Optimistic people are usually passive as well.  They are not necessarily people of action.  They expect the good to show up but they do not always want to get their hands dirty in the process.

Yet, hope is a different reality.  Hope is not rooted in man.  Hopefulness is not centered in man's attitude.

Hopefulness is a quality of God.  It is God's gift to humanity.
Hope gives us access not to the best case scenario but to the real outcome of life.

In hope we have access to God, the ground of all reality.   This is why the one who has hope lives differently; the one who has hope has been given the gift of new life.

It is the hope we have in Christ that enables us to wait, to gird our loins and light our lamps and be like servants.  Hope is not passive but active.  We who have hope get busy preparing the way.  We put on our servant uniforms and we trim the wicks and roll up our sleeves.

We know that in service to others we shall be served in the end..."he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them."

Hopefulness is a gift we have received and that which motivates us forward.  We know life as we know it is not in our hands but in the hands of God and this makes all the difference.

The hairs on your head

Ephesians 1:11-14; Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own; Luke 12:1-7

I love today's gospel.  "so many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot."

What a great image to describe the drawing power of Christ.  People couldn't stay away from him.

They were trampling one another underfoot.

Image the crowd.  Imagine the attitude.  It reminds me of when we were in MAdrid for World Youth Day a few years ago.  There were over 1 million people who lined the street to greet the Pope when he arrived.

They were truly stepping one one another to get closer, to get a good look, or a good pic.

JEsus stills has that same drawing power as he uses those he has chosen to make his will known.

JEsus tells us int he gospel, "even the hairs of your head have all been counted."

There is nothing unknown when it comes to God's knowledge of us.

I find this comforting.  I like the fact I can't keep secrets from God.  IT is freeing and refreshing.

I don't have to put on airs or pretend.  God knows everything.

Today think about God knowing everything.  As you do, find freedom in that reality.  Rest at ease in the truth that God knows and we no longer have to pretend.

What a gift!

St Luke the evangelist

2 timothy 4:10-17; Ps 145 Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom; Luke 10:1-9

"Your friends O lord make known the glorious splendor of your kingdom."

On Thursday we celebrated the feast of St. Luke, the writer of the gospel according to Luke.  It is one of the longest gospel accounts of the life of Jesus.

Not only is it long but it has some of the most beautiful and breath taking images and stories about Christ's encounter with the men and women in the first century as well of the most striking parables that paint for us who God is from all eternity.

Luke the evangelist is an artist with a pen.  The pictures he paints truly captivate.

It is in the gospel of Luke we encounter the Angel Gabriel coming to MAry and inviting her to be the mother of the Savior, the very greeting we live and we experience with every recitation of the Rosary as the words of the angel are pressed upon our lips, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you."

It is from the lips of the Blessed Mother according to Luke that we get the true attitude of a disciple, "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord, be done to me according to thy word."

From the pen of Luke we get the beautiful story of Christmas with the angels singing  "glory to God in the highest..." as the shepherds are keeping watch over the flock.

Throughout his gospel we encounter Jesus touching the outcast and the forsaken,  Jesus constantly relates to the little people, those that do not matter according to society's standard.

In the gospel we have the beautiful tale of the prodigal son or the shepherd who leaves the 99 to look for the one lost sheep.

Luke tells us those who are cured and made whole by the presence of Christ, the cleansing of the leper, the paralytic that is able to walk.

Lue tells us how Jesus raises the window's son without ever having to be asked or the sinful women who cleans the feet of JEsus with her tears and her hair.

Luke informs us of the good thief who in an instant repents and is given paradise.

There is so much more contained in the gospel for us to cherish.

Luke truly is a friend of God for he does make known the glorious splendor of the kingdom of God.

What about us?
How do we tell the story  of God acting in our life?  How do we paint the picture for other to encounter Christ?

Someone told us the story and invited us to know Christ.  How do we keep the story alive in our life for future generations as St. Luke did for us with his gospel.

IT is time for us to pick up where Luke left off.   IT is time for us to tell the story of JEsus and let the world know the glorious splendor of the kingdom