The Need For You to Decide to Repent and Change

Having been on over 10 college campuses for school and missionary work; it never failed that during certain parts of the year the soap box preacher would come onto campus preaching fire and brimstone, yelling with their Bible in hand at the college students that they should repent of their sin and come to the Lord!  Now I’m not disagreeing that sinners, including myself, need to repent. But I do believe the soap box preacher was taking the wrong approach, if anything, he was pushing people away from the Lord, not drawing them closer to Him!

And yet, in the Gospel today we hear about St. John the Baptist preaching like the soap box preacher!  “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!” But there is a different between the two!  John the Baptist lived in the desert of Judea.  Do you know how many people live in the desert?  Not many, it’s a place of solitude and isolation.  The fact was people from all over Judea and Jerusalem were going out to see the saint and listen to his message.  They, except the Pharisees and Sadducees, had already made the realization that they wanted and needed to change their life and St. John the Baptist was extending the invitation to come back to the Lord.  We see it also in the life of Jesus Christ as well. Jesus goes out, yes! But it’s the sick, the lepers, the blind that call out to the Lord for healing!  Again, the healing begins with their decision to seek repentance and turn back to the Lord.

In a same sense, I can’t force you to repent.  I can’t force you to grow in your faith.  This can only be done by your decision to seek out and cooperate with God’s Grace.  So, I encourage, better yet, I’m inviting all of us, including myself, to prepare our hearts by repenting and turning back to the Lord! 

Cleaning the House Up for the Holidays! A Reflection on Advent!

It is truly a holiday season.  From Thanksgiving jumping right into preparing for the Christmas season, I have many memories of the following situation; the house was in disarray and we were soon expecting the arrival of our relatives!  The entire household would go into full clean up mode.  My mom ran the show, while my dad steam cleaned the floors and organized the garage. My job was usually dusting, vacuuming the hallways and stairs, while also cleaning my room grudgingly.  The reason for all this cleaning?  We had been caught up in our own daily schedules up until this point and forgot to maintain our very house we lived in.

In certain way, I believe this is why the Church has the Advent Liturgical Season.  In a way it is to prepare us to celebrate the birth of Christ!  But like our house before the holidays, we too have strayed in our faith in some way or another.  Caught up in the business of our lives from work, school, sports, relationships, etc. that leaves us internally a mess and a necessary cleaning of our own interior house is in order.  The Church is asking of us to once again prepare our hearts to receive Christ in our lives.  In a way that’s what the Scriptures our saying.  The Lord is coming, make your preparations, don’t get caught off guard.

So, I encourage you during this Advent season, make some time to prepare our hearts to receive Christ; from the Sacrament of Reconciliation, to coming to daily Mass, to spending some time before the Blessed Sacrament in our chapel.  The Lord so desires to come into our hearts.  Let’s not have our house in such a mess that we will not have any room when He arrives. 

Desiring for Someone to Fight for Me!

When I was growing up we had a forest preserve close to my house.  My friends and I would pull out some hammer & nails, blocks of wood, and build some forts and cause trouble.  One day my dad curiously asked to see where I was spending all my time.  So I took my dad down into the forest preserve.  The one day I decided to show my dad where I was spending all my time was the same day, and only day I could ever recall, when there was a failed bank robbery and a police chase that ended up near our house. 

As we were in the woods, we could hear the sirens from a distance.  Soon those sirens ended up right outside the tree line of the forest preserve.  I told my dad that we should leave/run, but my dad not wanting to be confused with the chase told me to stand still.  All of a sudden the bank robber came running into the woods.  Actually he was running right toward us without seeing us.  All of sudden as he got close, my dad placed himself between me and the bank robber. When the bank robber saw my dad and I, he turned and ran in a different direction.

It was confirmed, that which I already known, my dad was willing to fight for me!  I think this longing, this desire for someone to fight for us, can be found in all our aspects of life!  We seek it from our teachers when we were kids; if we are struggling we wanted a teacher that would work with us to succeed.  We seek it in our coaches; if we are struggling we want a coach to stick by our side even when we aren't playing our best game.   We desire it in our friends; that they would stick up for us when others are saying bad things about us.  We desire it from are bosses; that they will defend our work.  We desire it from our family and close loved ones.  And we even desire it from our politicians.  If we looked at how people voted in this past election, we can see why people voted for their candidate!  Their vote was based on their belief that the candidate would best fight for their rights!

It's no difference in our faith.  We desire for a God who will fight for us!  And yet, how many people out there, including ourselves, may feel that God is distant?  From a loss of a loved one, to a possible terminal diagnosis, to a loss of a job, or even brokenness within our family.  Do we acknowledge God's presence in our life?  Do we see God fighting for us? 

This is why it is so important that the Church celebrates every year, which we celebrated this past weekend, the Solemnity of Christ the King!  Getting past our own misconceptions of modern day monarchies; the role of the king was not to be separated from the people, but someone who fought for his people!  King Saul and King David, after they were anointed by Samuel as king of Israel, they went off to battle to fight Israel's enemy.  We too have a King willing to fight for us.  All we need to do is look at Jesus Christ on the Cross.  Christ enters into our battles of loneliness, doubt, despair, and even death to bring us into his Kingdom.  How great it is that we have a King who is willing to fight for you and me!

We Are an Anxious People!

It’s amazing how anxious and fearful we can become!  Specifically, in the past few weeks, I heard from numerous people about how concerned, anxious, and afraid prior and post presidential election.  In the previous weeks, I also heard from many people on how anxious they were about Game 7 of the world series, and how they couldn’t even watch the game because it was so intense.  And that’s just from politics and sports, this doesn’t even begin to account for the anxiety and fears that come from our daily lives and responsibilities from family, work, school, our own health and well being. 

If were to just take a step back and look at our lives, we could say that humanity overall seems to be anxious and fearful!  The funny thing if you read the Bible which has stories that go as far back as 5,000 + years, not much has changed.  It’s no wonder, the main message from God throughout the Scriptures is “Do not be Afraid” and “Peace, be with you!” We need to be constantly comforted, constantly reassured that everything is going to be ok. 

From the Gospel, this weekend, you can sense the anxiety and fear rise once again.  Jesus begins to tell the Jews about the upcoming destruction of their temple; that which is the center of their worship, faith, and life!  And yet, Jesus seems un-phased as he proclaims the future collapses of kingdoms and nations.  Why? 

I think because Christ is trying to reveal something deeper about our faith.  Our life is more than buildings, more than politics, or even sports!  Our life is about relationship with the Lord and that can be never taken away!  Jesus came into the world to take on our greatest fear and greatest anxiety, which can be found in death.  He doesn’t run away from it, but transforms it!  So, if you are finding yourself in fear or anxiety, do not put your hopes in worldly things that will fail us and fade away.  Place your hopes in the one who will never leave us, even on the cross; place your hopes in Jesus Christ!

What We Can Learn From Airplanes!

It has been reported that commercial airplanes, like those that fly from Chicago to Los Angeles, are off their flight plan over 90% of the time.  You can easily see why: from cross winds, jet steams, to various weather conditions and storms.  But, even though they are constantly off course, they still make it to their destination.  How?  The airplanes are constantly being corrected by computer instruments to correct the airplane's bearings. 

Our Spiritual lives can be very similar.  If we acknowledge that God has a specific plan for us, then we can also acknowledge that we too are off the path over 90% of the time as well.  Just like airplanes, we encounter the cross winds of sin, we encounter the crazy storms of life.  We too need to constantly make self-corrections, we need to constantly turn back to the Lord!

We see this in the Gospel from this past weekend in the story of Zacchaeus.  Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector in Jericho.  Two things needed to be pointed out; first the town of Jericho and second the position of chief-tax collector.  Jericho was seen as a place of sin.  It was the town the Israelites had to overcome to enter into the Holy Land.  Unlike the holy city of Jerusalem built 1800 feet above sea level, Jericho was found 1200 feet below sea level.  Within 18 miles that separate the two towns, one would have to descend from Jerusalem, the holy city, to get to the town of Jericho.  The descent was not only a sign of physical descent, but spiritual fall.  Next, Zacchaeus was a chief tax collect.  He worked for the Roman Empire, the very oppressors of the Jewish people and faith.  So, not only was Zacchaeus in a town known for sin, but he held a position that was the worst of all!

Scripture says Zacchaeus was short in stature and so he didn't approach the Lord, but he had the full authority of the Roman guard at his disposal.  He could of went directly up to the Lord because of his authority.  But instead he climbed a tree, because he only wanted to see Jesus at a distance. He had strayed from God's plan and you can see how he felt unworthy to see God face to face.  But Zacchaeus small action to see Jesus led to something powerful.  And just like the prodigal Son, God runs out to Zacchaeus.  Jesus tells Zacchaeus to come down quickly for he must stay in his house.  Well what happens, when people enter another person's house?  They share a meal!

God continues to work the same way in our lives and we can see this in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Eucharist.  In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, there is always a hesitation to go!  We, like Zacchaeus, don't jump to go to the Sacrament.  We know we have strayed from our path, and may sometimes feel unworthy to be in God's presence.  Yet once we enter, it is God who comes to us.  He forgives us our sins and tells us that He must stay with us!  And this is where the Sacrament of the Eucharist follows.  He invites us to share a meal!  He comes into our house, our hearts and feeds us with himself in the Eucharist! 

It is clear that we don't always follow the Lord and we fall of the path God planned for us, but it doesn't mean that the Lord doesn't stop calling us back to himself.  It's time to correct our bearings once again and set our hearts on our ultimate destination: to be with the Lord!

The Need to Acknowledge Our Own Brokenness, Our Need for a Savior

In October 2005 I started to notice a growth in my neck.  By November, it had continued to grow and I remember asking my sister, as she was finishing her residency program in Family Medicine, to examine it while we were driving back from Tennessee from our Thanksgiving break.  She could feel the growth, but without exams, she felt it was something that needed to be drained.  As I went from internal medicine; to a neck, throat, and ear specialist; they finally got me to a surgeon and then an oncologist. I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.  It was amazing how quickly we went from diagnosis to treatment.  It cancer had spread from my neck to my abdomen, which eventually led to 12 chemo treatments over 6 months. 

What is clear in medicine is also clear in the spiritual life.  We can't seek treatment, until we know what is wrong, or until we even identify that something is wrong!  That's the struggle with our culture today.  We are not willing to say something is wrong with ourselves.  Our culture, society will say everything is fine, everything is okay!  Yet, I only have to point to our political candidates to prove that statement as false!  Our culture, our society is not okay! We, ourselves need the Lord more then ever.

When I was on a college campus doing my missionary work, I encountered a student who encompasses exactly what we are facing today!  The college student was not Catholic, but was attending Catholic retreats.  He had been living the college life he wanted by partying hard on the weekends.  He had a girlfriend, was studying business, and had an internship all lined up for the summer.  I remember asking/challenging him to consider going deeper into the Catholic faith, but he knew what that would involve: change!  He flat out told me that his life was great and there was no need to change!  (Again, you can't seek the great physician if you don't know if anything is wrong).  That following week the Lord pierced through his false reality.  His girlfriend broke up with him, his internship fell through, and things were seeming to fall apart!  It was then, we were able to have deeper conversations, about loneliness, brokenness and the need for the Lord!

This weekend's Gospel is challenging us just like I had challenged that college student.  The Gospel was the contrast of  prayer between the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14).  The Pharisee relied solely on his works and felt justified by how he lived his live, while the tax collector knew he needed to rely solely on God.  The Lord is asking us to seek him and to rely solely on him!  Let us not be like the Pharisee, who couldn't not see his own brokenness and illness.  Let us be like the tax collector, acknowledge our need for a savior and call upon him; Jesus, Son of the living God, have mercy on me a sinner!

What's with Moses and Amalek, Can We Get back to Me?

This weekend the Catholic Church proclaimed in their first reading the story of Moses and Joshua fighting Amalek.  Of course we know this story right?  If you are like me, you didn't learn about this battle in history class.  So the answer to that question is No!  But then, why is it so important that it be proclaimed in every Catholic Church around they entire world reaching to over 1 billion Catholics?!  Moses and Joshua, representing Israel, was called to fight not only for their existence, but for their very faith.  The question we need to ask ourselves is, "Are we willing to fight for our faith?"  Even Jesus asked that to his disciples, "But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8).

Now, living in the United States we are truly blessed with Freedom of Religion.  We have the right to assemble and practice our faith and we are not killed for our Catholic/Christian faith unlike other places throughout the world.  In Saudi Arabia, a US and Western ally, will not let anyone practice Christianity openly and freely.  You will be jailed.  If you are Kurd in Iraq, you are persecuted by Turkey, ISIS and Iran.  If you are Coptic Egyptian, one of the Oldest Christian rites, you can be beheaded on the shores of Libya.  In Yemen, 4 Missionaries of Charity were killed for serving the poor and dying in that country.  We may feel that those things are isolated events and will never become our problem, but just a couple of months ago a Catholic Priest was killed in France for offering Mass; for being Catholic.  There may come a time in the US, where we will need to stand for our faith that will cost us our lives, but that's not the fighting I want to talk about.

Another battle we could discuss is the need to fight for our faith within the political spheres of our country.  This is an election season, which has the ability to direct our politicians, and hence our future actions within our country.  My parish has over 3,800 crosses in our front lawn, representing the number abortions that happen every day in the United States.  This is something that is very saddening because we know that each person, from the moment of conception is uniquely made.  We know this from experience.  If my parents had 1,000 kids, there would not be another me!  There are 7.2 billion people in the world.  Can you account for anyone being exactly identical or a replica of another human being that has ever been, ever is, or ever will be?  The answer is NO!  Each life is sacred and uniquely made, divinely inspired, and therefore has a place in this world! 

But again that's not the fight I think is the most important.  What I want to ask is, are we willing to fight for God in our own lives?  In our job, families, friends, and more importantly in our sacred schedule!  If we are truly honest with ourselves, we constantly downplay the significance of putting God in our daily lives.  How much easier is it for me to find time to watch the entire Cubs game than heading over to the chapel to pray or opening the Scriptures.  How easier it is to turn on Netflix after a long day, then actually taking the time to give thanks to God for the day He had given me?  As a priest, I can tell you that the struggle is real!  How much more then do we need to be encouraged to fight this day! That's the importance of the first reading  and why it being proclaimed through the world.  Let us fight to make our faith a priority!

Run 26.2 Miles, Are You Crazy?

My sisters and I would never consider ourselves runners.  However, my middle sister, Tina and I have ran 6 marathons together in the past 10 years.  She's currently trying to convince me to do another one next year!  We will see.  The crazy thing about running is that it doesn't matter how many long runs or marathons you have done.  If you even take a month or two off, it's really hard to run even a shorter distance like 4 to 5 miles!  Why is that?  When you stop your discipline, you lose your perseverance and endurance and in a way you need to start your training all over again. 

The crazy thing is that this doesn't just apply to exercising and running.  Have you ever been on a diet?  You carry strong discipline for a month, two month, or even a year, but when the diet stops... every dessert looks great! 

How about studying?  I was the master at cramming before exams, but the instant the exam was taken and I stopped studying, the information went right out the door.  Only to having to return to cramming before the final exam!

The one thing that connects all these things together is a lack of discipline and falling into complacency.  And just like exercising, dieting, and studying, our faith has the same results. In all reality, we don't think about the need to be disciplined in our faith, especially when we have so many other things going on in our life.  But our faith, like everything else, slowly declines when we don't practice it; when we don't live it out!  Our relationship with Jesus Christ is either growing or fading, it never remains at a certain level. 

The readings from this weekend touched exactly on this point. (26th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C).  Amos, the prophet, warns to the Israelites about living in complacency, living a life of comfort.  He challenges them to be present to the poor and rejected.  He challenges them to live their life for others, instead of living a life of comfort and themselves. 

St. Paul in our second reading, exhorts the people to "compete" in their faith.  Think about how an Olympian trains: everything they do is for the sake of their upcoming competition.  There entire schedule is based on their goal, to achieve a gold medal; from their sleep, to their exercise, to the food they put in their body.  St. Paul is exhorting the early Church to live just like that!  Compete in the faith.  Center your entire schedule on living your faith and building up your relationship with the Lord.  Oh how our lives would change if we actually did this.

In the Gospel, Christ reveals a parable to the Pharisees about the rich man and Lazarus; a story about heaven and hell.  The rich man ends up in hell, while Lazarus ends in the bosom of Abraham in heaven.  The rich man doesn't end up in hell because of his wealth.  The rich man ends up in hell, because he fell into complacency.  He fell into a life of comfort.  He didn't extend his gifts to those around him.  He lived his life for himself.  This was his downfall.  For the Christian life, revealed by Christ, is not one lived for oneself, but to be a gift given to others!

Pope Benedict expressed similar lines that tie all three readings together.  He said to the youth shortly after being elected Pope, "The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort.  You were made for greatness!"  I believe it is fitting for us to hear these words once again after these weekend readings.  Let us not settle for the comforts of this life, but strive the greatness we have been made.  Let us be a gift for others!

Do You Need Help With That? No, I Can Do It Myself!

I always joked that if you wanted to make a guy 10 times stronger all you need are 2 things.  Have a woman in the room and ask him if he needs any help moving a heavy object!  Their automatic reaction is to say, "No, I got this"! 

In a certain way we all have that reaction in us.  It is a sign of our free will.  It is a sign of our independence, to be  self-sufficient.  Isn't that the goal of most people; to get to a point to be able to provide for themselves and for their families?

We understand freedom and independence, but God gives us these gifts for one thing: to Love.  This involves, however, surrendering ourselves to the Other!  Christ reveals that in his very life!  Jesus, who is God and who is truly free (He can do what ever He wants) reveals to us how to live.  Jesus Christ didn't choose to live a life for Himself, but solely for His Father in Heaven and for US!  His entire life was a gift to other! And in by laying down His life for us, He reveals God's design for us!

The problem in our culture is that we get the whole freedom and independence part, but struggle with surrender and living a life for others!  I love the following quote:

Almighty God can complete anyone He pleases. But God desires that we depend on each other, and what anyone does not have in himself, he finds in the other. Thus, humility is preserved, love increased, and unity realized. ~ St. Aelred

If we are called to be united with God through the Body of Christ, then that can only happen if we surrender our free will back to God by serving Him and our neighbor.  Free will and independence is only beautiful when it is lived in love, lived in surrender.  Let's ask the Lord for the grace to surrender our lives to Him and those we meet this day!

Do You Really Love Me? Prove It!

When I was in college at the University of Illinois, I had a college sweet heart named Katie.  A few months into our relationship, we began to saying, "I love you," to each other.  It became a frequent expression we said one another.  But there was one moment in our relationship that caught me off guard, Katie challenged the meaning behind the words!  As I was about to leave for class, I told Katie that I loved her.  She made the following statement, "Do you really?" 

What Katie desired was to see, touch, taste, smell some tangible reality to those words!  Maybe she wanted some flowers, chocolates, or some clear action that would put her as a priority in my life over my school work and friends.  In either case, she wanted something tangible!

This moment I experienced with Katie in college wasn't a one time experience.  The question that Katie asked, I have found myself asking God the same thing!  We hear, over and over again, that God loves us!  God loves you!  But are there not times when we ask that question to God, "Do you really?"  I want some tangible expression of that love! Have you ever said any of the following?

 - If you really loved me God, heal my loved one!
 - If you really loved me, remove this sin/addiction!
 - If you really loved me, remove my loneliness!
 - If you really loved me, remove this cross!
 - If you really loved me, help be get this job!
 - If you really loved me, (Fill in the blank)!

What is so beautiful about our faith is that Jesus Christ, through the Mass, offers something we can initially hear, then finally get to see, taste, touch, and smell; His Body and Blood!  There is nothing more intimate and tangible than giving your entire life to another!  Christ in the Mass offers us His own Body and Blood!  Maybe that is why the Church asks us to go to Mass every week, so that we can receive the tangible expressions of Love that we so long for!

The challenge that lies in believing in a God who is willing to give His very life to us, comes from answering the following question, "What do you think God is going to ask in return?"  It's a scary thought because I kneel before the Lord in prayer and say, "God, you know that I love you!"  And I hear God's response similar to Katie's, "Do you really?"  Love is to be reciprocated.  The Lord is asking us to reciprocate His love and give Him everything!

Wait a Minute, the World Doesn't Revolve Around Me?

You can probably ask my sister about the various scenarios in my life where, it was clear, I believed the world revolved around me!  The picture describes it all!



Everything needs to go the way I want it to go, or I will get mad.  If you actually take the time to think about it, this is the central cause of sin!  Think about the last time you were angry with someone. Why did you get angry?  Was it because they acted in a way that YOU didn't want them to act?  Think about the last time you were impatient.  Were you impatient because things were not going as quickly as YOU wanted it to go?  You can do this for any kind of sin!

What we need to do is follow what is presented in the Gospel this past weekend (22nd Sunday of Ordinary time C). Jesus talks about the banquet and choosing the lower seats of honor, only to be exalted.  For those who are humble will be exalted!  This is the life of Christ, the life of the Saints, and the life the Lord is calling us too!

When we place ourselves in the place of God, we are forced to acknowledge our mortality and humanity.  We are mere creatures before our Creator.  The problem with sin is that we remove God, only to place ourselves in His place! 

So the question the Lord places in the Gospel today is; are you humble before the Lord?  Or do you put yourself in the place of God?  Because in the end, we are going to find ourselves either being exalted by the Lord because of our humility, or God is going to be humble us because we have been too prideful. 

For the Lord encourages us now, more than ever, to be humble before Him and others!  Maybe it’s time for us to fall to our knees before our Crucified Lord and acknowledge the greatest strength of all, God’s unconditional love for us!

My Parent's Love Story!

For those who know me, you probably have heard me tell my parent's Hollywood love story.  So you can imagine, as I'm introducing myself to my new parish that I couldn't wait to share their story with my parishioners in a homily!

My last name is Kearney, which reveals my Irish heritage. My dad grew up in small farm towns in the Midwest.  But many people are surprised to find out not only my mother's side of the story, but also how my parents met.  My mother was born in Jerusalem and came to the states when she was 10.  When she was in her early 20's she was introduced to another Arab man (not my father of course) and before you knew it she was engaged and creating her wedding invitations.  It was at that point my dad entered into the picture and came across my mom, only to be disappointed when he found out that this beautiful woman was engaged.  Long story short, due to family connections, my dad received an invitation to my mother's wedding.  You can imagine that my father was not looking forward to see this beautiful woman get married.  So he declined the invitation, only to end up driving to Tombstone, AZ from Chicago, where we have some family.

Well the night before the wedding, when my mother was going into the city to get her wedding license for the next day ceremony, my mother found out that the man she was going to marry didn't want to have any kids and wasn't planning on visiting much of her family even for the holidays.  For those who don't know my mom, this was heart breaking, for family and children mean the world to my mom.  Returning home in tears, my Grandmother, helping make the decision final, took the wedding license from my mom and tore it up!

My dad arrived in Arizona on Friday by car, only to find out my mother's wedding was cancelled on Saturday.  He jumped back in the car and was at my mother's doorstep in Chicago Monday evening. He asked her out and they dated for three weeks, he proposed, and they were married in 3 months! 

It's pretty much a Hollywood movie in the making.  My sisters and I were one day of never existing.  But as much as I like to praise my parents for their Hollywood story of falling in love, what really is amazing is their fidelity to that love over 41 years.  For if you were to ask them about their 41 years of marriage, they would be first to admit the difficulties they have faced as a couple.

I share this love story because are faith carries a very similar road.  Many of us can maybe remember falling in love with the Lord.  Maybe it was through a retreat, adoration, through the Sacrament of Reconciliation or even in the Mass.  Yet the falling in love with the Lord is easy, it's the staying in love with the Lord in the light of the Cross that is quite difficult!

That is why it's so beautiful to look toward our Blessed Mother, Mary.  For she gives us a great example of the Christian journey.  Her surrender to the Lord, which is known as her Fiat, in other words her "yes" to the Arch-angel Gabriel to give birth to our Lord, involves the same "yes" that leads her to the foot of the Cross as her son is crucified!  One of great joy and one of great difficulty.

This past Sunday we heard from the Gospel of Luke (13:22-30) the following:

“Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough"

It sounds scary for us to hear that some will not be strong enough to enter the Narrow Gate.  I truly belief the narrow gate is in reference to the fidelity to surrendering everything to the Lord, even in the light of our own death and crosses.  Will we remain faithful in the most difficult times?  How can we prepare ourselves so that we can be strong enough?  This brings me to two examples and the gifts that can be found in the Catholic Church!

When my Grandmother on my dad's side was nearing the end of her life with amnesia and dementia, there was one thing that continued to ground her in her faith.  It was her commitment to the daily Rosary.  And even if she couldn't remember the names of her grandchildren and at the end of her life her children, she could still recite the Hail Mary like the best of them.  As much as some might say the Rosary is just a rote prayer and just repetitive in nature, we don't know how much grace there is to say even the most simple words, "Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners now and the hour of our death!" 

The second thing would be the strength found in the Mass and in the Eucharist.  Recently I ended up at the Hospital to give last rights to man who had a brain bleed.  He seemed unresponsive when a I arrived, but while performing the prayers, the wife told her husband that a priest was in the room and a tear came to his eye.  The next day I had the chance to visit him, and after the request from the wife and approval from the nurse, I was able to give the man our Lord in holy communion.  Even though he was unresponsive to my entering the room and conversation with his wife.  When I said, "The Body of Christ," the man opened his mouth on queue and began to consume the host.  To make things even more beautiful, the wife said that her husband still remembers the "Our Father" prayer.  So after telling her husband to join her, He recited line by line with his wife the Our Father!

What beautiful gifts Christ and the Church gives us to prepare ourselves for the Lord!  May we work now, more then ever, to recommit ourselves to the Lord through the Rosary and the Mass so that we too will have strength to enter the narrow gate!

But I Don't Wanna Change!

Have you ever looked at the world and wished you could change it?  Either stopping wars or terrorism, or having Michael Phelps win all 28 golds vs. his 23 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze!  Have you ever looked at our country?  Wouldn't it be nice to change the hearts of our politicians, or political system?  Do you see the violence that is exploding everywhere and wish you could bring peace?  Have you ever looked at your town and wish to change it?  Maybe have lower property taxes and improve their school system?  Have you ever wished to help your family members who are struggling?  After looking at the world, our country, town, and family, we may have time to look at ourselves and say, I wish I can change this part of my life. 

But there is a difference of wanting change, and actually being changed!  What happens when we are confronted by others to change?  Have you ever received criticism?  Have you ever been told you need to change?  How do you usually receive that criticism or fraternal correction?  If you are like me, the picture below describes it all!  "I don't wanna Change!"

This might give us insight on why the prophets in the Old Testament were usually persecuted or killed because of their message.  Jeremiah in the Old Testament reading this past weekend for the 20th Sunday of Ordinary time was thrown into a cistern.  He was called by God to confront the people to tell them to return to God and to stop their immoral actions!  And their response? They wanted to have none of it! 

But this passage can be applied to us today! The Lord never stops calling us to change! What are those things in our lives that are preventing us from turning to Him?  Here are some questions to ask: How many minutes of the Olympics did you watch this week?  How many episodes on Netflix?  How many sports games did you watch?  How many times did you turn to facebook to kill some time?  Now ask yourself the following questions:  How many times did you open the Scriptures?  How many times did you take to pray silently to God in adoration?  How many times did you take steps to invite the Lord into your hearts?

If you are like me, once you answer those questions, you can see that maybe we need to change!  Are desires to change the world, our country, our city, family can only begin if we turn to the Lord to have Him transform us! That is why I love the following quote found on a Bishop's Tombstone in Westminster Abbey.

“When I was young and free, and my imagination had no limits, I imagined changing the world; as I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change.  So I shorten my sights to my own country, but it too seemed immovable.  As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me.  But alas they would not have any of it.  And now as I am on my death bed.  I suddenly realize if I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family, from their inspiration and encouragement, I would have changed or even bettered my country.  Who knows I might have changed the world.” 

The Lord is calling us to change!  Let us turn to Him for strength to do just that!

Solving the Unsolved Mystery!

Unsolved Mysteries!  It was my favorite television show in the 90’s.

The show was consisted of telling 4-5 stories that have YET to be solved; from missing persons, to possible ghost encounters.  They would usually start the show with some ridiculous background music and the line, “Maybe you can help solve the next unsolved mystery.”  If you were lucky, the end of the show would have an “Update,” where they would explain how they solved a previous mysterious case!

I bring this up because in many cases, our society doesn’t like mystery.  A mystery is something that needs to be solved!  We like answers!  It's probably why I became an Engineer!  From math, chemistry to physics, I was constantly given equations, mysteries, and asked to solve the problem.  And so when I entered in to my faith and they kept talking about the Mystery of our faith, you can understand how I responded.  Three persons and one God, The Eucharist, Jesus Christ being fully Divine and fully human, "Oh I'm going to solve it!"  I was an engineer after all and any problem I was given had a solution!

And yet there is something unique about our faith that is quite different than a math equation or engineering problem.  Our faith is centered and founded on Relationship!  Our God is a communion of persons.  The very essence of God is a relationship of persons.  And we were made in that image and likeness of God.  We were made for relationship and communion! 

The one thing that I've learned about relationships is that they are a mystery, not something that can be solved!  If you have ever fallen in love, you can’t explain the mystery that has taken you over, you can only enter into that relationship.  Maybe it's why we say "love is blind," because it doesn't make sense, it's not an equation that can be explained, but only something that we can enter into.  Maybe that is why I must be a sucker for weddings, for it is a mystery of love between the bride and the groom that we enjoy, not an equation that has been solved!  It is the same with our faith! 

So the next time the priest proclaims “the Mystery of Faith”, during the Eucharist Liturgy prepare yourself.  Not for an equation to be solved, but a relationship to enter into!

Hit the Road Jack!

One thing I learned growing up in my family is that a road trip is never out of a question!  Traveling with my family by car to California, Texas, Florida, DC, Canada, and everywhere in between I saw most of the US through the back of our family mini-van.  One of the crucial aspects to the trip was always making sure we had our trusted Atlas!  It helped up navigate through the various states along with tracking the roadways and possible future exits for our stops!

After living in 10 different locations over 12 years, I've come to realize that my life has been quite a journey!  But it's not something new to the Christian faithful!  The early Christian Father's would write about how our life was a journey, from this world to the next.  Our destination was not earth, but of heaven with God. 

Each of the Sunday readings deal with this fact: We are made to be with God in heaven and not on earth and live solely for this earth, you are not living at all!

The first reading gives us the line "Vanity of Vanities" (Eccl 1:2).  Why? Because unless it's for God, then it is all worthless and vain.  It's worthless because it's not getting us to our destination.  St. Paul asks the people to know their ultimate destination; "seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God" (Col 3:1).  And finally, the harshness of the Lord in the parable, "‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ (Luke 12:20). 

The first reading and the Gospel warn us about living for this world, while St. Paul gives us the answer: Seek your end, seek the Lord!  And so we are encouraged to solidify our destination.  The question then needs to be asked: Am I actually living for my destination to be with God?  What steps am I taking to get there?  What is my Atlas to get me there?

We need to ask these questions because if we don't make active steps to achieve our end, we can never get there!  If I wanted to take a vacation, it's not until I make the decision of where I want to go, before I could set out to get there.  It's only when I decide to go to Cancun for vacation, that I can start saving money and making accommodations to get there (aka plane ticket, hotel, local commute).  It's no different in our spiritual life. 

It's time to make the relationship with the Lord our end, and start making an effort to get there!  Seeking the Lord in word and Sacrament.  Looking at our great Atlas with the richness of the Catholic Tradition!

Don't Speak Until I Have My Coffee!

Have you ever seen the following coffee Mug? I'm very tempted to get one!

The mug points to a simple reality: there are times when I can't handle the relationships in front of me until I get my morning caffeine kick!  But it happens more then just mornings!  Have you ever had a moment, when you were frustrated, angry, hungry (or hangry) and then you encounter someone with a lot of energy, joy and love?  What is your automatic reaction?  In my experience my response is "get away!"  I can't handle you right now!

I bring this up because this experience I've encountered, probably many times, can explain the spiritual reality of heaven and hell.  I recently encountered a person after a talk I had given.  The person wanted to challenge my theology and asked, "How can a loving God send anyone to hell?"  It's a theology question that can be challenging to many!  My response to the person was explain the above scenarios.  How often do we push love away?  Because it's not God who places souls in hell, it is they who place themselves there!  God loves us so much that He respects our free will. 

"Our free will is the only thing that is really our own.  Our health, our wealth, our power - all these God can take away from us.  But our freedom He leaves to us, even in hell.  Because freedom is our own, it is the only perfect gift that we can make to God" ~ Fulton Sheen

So the souls who are in hell are those who have encountered the love and joy of the Lord and in their self-pity, hatred, and anger reject God.  Their gnashing of teeth and the fire described in hell comes from their own rejection of God's love revealed in Jesus Christ.  It's not God's who places souls in hell, it they who put themselves there.  The fire that burns in hell, is the same fire that is received in love, joy and mercy by the Saints in heaven! 

So as much as I joke about needing the cup of coffee before I can enter into relationships with others, what really needs to happen is my openness to receive the love, mercy, and joy before me!  What I need to do is be open to receive our Lord and His love! Amen!

Humming Bird Part II - False Substitutes

Hummingbirds are beautiful creatures.  For the longest time, scientist were looking at how only this type of bird could fly in any direction with it's wings.  What is also amazing is the amount of calories the bird eats!  It takes in about 6-8 calories a day, which is equivalent to myself eating 200,000 calories a day!  Oh, how many steaks and burgers I would eat, along with bacon and cheese.

To enjoy these beautiful creatures some people buy hummingbird feeders at their local gardening shop.  I met a couple this weekend that had 6 feeders in their backyard.  In these feeders you would put 4 parts water to one part pure sugar cane.  This gives the right consistency for the birds.

But a drastic mistake that has happened in the past, due to lack of understanding, is that sometimes people accidentally put a sugar substitute in their feeder; like NutraSweet or Splenda.  These have 0 calories.  And what happens to these hummingbirds when they come across these feeders?  Do they know the difference?  Do they ignore the feeder? They actually consume the liquid, which fills their stomach so they can't consume anymore food, and because they receive zero calories they eventually die!

It's a sad story I know, but I promise it has a point.  We too, like the hummingbird, were made for real food!  And yet we fall for false substitutes all the time.  We fall for things that we believe will bring us life, but in the end brings us to sadness, loneliness, anger, depression, and even death.  Actually, if you were to define sin, that would be a good definition: Sin is a false substitute!  We desire God, yet we fail to turn to him to feed us! 

G.K. Chesterton once said that the man going into the brothel and the man going into the Church were seeking the same thing!  The difference?  One was falling for a false substitute.  Both men were seeking to have their desires fulfilled.  Both were desiring intimacy and relationship.

So the question is: what is our false substitutes?  It can be drastic sins like Pride, Lust, Anger, Avarice (Greed), Envy, Sloth and Gluttony also known as the 7 deadly sins.  But false substitutes can also be from those things that are neutral or even something good.  We saw that in the Gospel this past weekend (16th Sunday of Ordinary Time C) - Martha invites Jesus into her house.  Mary, her sister, stays at the foot of Christ listening.  Martha gets upset that her sister is not helping her host!  Martha, after complaining to the Lord, is told that Mary was doing the necessary thing.

But wait, doesn't the Christian life encourage serving? Doesn't following the Lord involve putting others before yourself?  Isn't Martha doing that?  The problem isn't the hospitality.  The problem is she's being distracted from being with the Lord.  She could have chosen to serve later.  Christ just wanted Martha to be with him.  Martha was falling for a subtle false substitute.

What can be some of our subtle false substitutes? Here are mine!
1. TV and Netflix.  Both are not bad, but when you watch 5 episodes in a row.  Or sit in front of the TV for hours, you are probably not resting in the Lord.  If anything it is taking you away from time of reflection with him.
2. Running and exercise.  Again, health is a good thing, but when we turn to running to get over our problems and not bring them to the Lord, than we have a false substitute.
3. My phone! How many times do I turn to my phone for my emails, text, Facebook, words with friends, etc.  Again we need to make sure we are not settling to turn to the device to fill our boredom.

We need to name our false substitutes - the big and the subtle.  Because just like the hummingbird, we were made for real substance, real food.  Let's not settle for that which can lead us to destruction.  Let us seek that which can bring us life.  And we are blessed that the Lord gives us just that!  He gives us himself, his Body and his Blood! 

A Priest Talking About His Ex-girlfriend

For some reason I have found that people listen more intently when I, as a priest, talk about ex-girlfriends.  So to keep the people of God on the edge of their seats I talked about my college sweet heart, Katie this past Sunday from the pulpit.  The lesson to be learned: Rules without relationship leads to rebellion. 

When Katie and I began to date at the end of my Sophomore year of College at the University of Illinois, we were head over heals for each other.  But just as in any relationship there were rules to be followed for it to grow and flourish.  Katie and I would talk everyday; over the summer months when apart we talked for hours on the phone.  When at school, even in my busy schedule of engineering, we discussed and planned my free time together.  And of course the basic rules of any committed relationship; no flirting with other women. 

The rules that came with the relationships didn't really bother me and they even made it possible for our relationships to grow.  But, what happened when the relationship began to fade? Communication broke down and the relationship began to struggle.  As the relationship faded, I started to look at all the rules I had to follow in the relationship.  Why couldn't I just hang out with my roommates and friends on the weekend?  Do I have to run my schedule always by Katie? Why can't I just talk to the girl over there?  It became clear, I started focusing on the rule when the relationship broke down and I wanted to rebel!

This is the same with our faith. I have encountered countless number of people who have issues with all the "rules" of the Catholic faith.  What do you mean I can't eat meat on Fridays?  What do you mean the Church is against contraception and pre-marital sex?  What do you mean I need to attend Mass every Sunday and if I don't go to Church on Sundays then that is a Mortal sin?  The response usually ends in a negative response, "You Catholics are just all about the rules."

I usually don't respond by addressing the rules, but encouraging a further relationship with the Lord and the Church!  Why? Because if the relationship resides with the Lord and his Bride, the Church, the rules actually begin to make sense.  Of course I would want to keep the Sabbath holy and receive the word of the Lord followed by receiving him in the Eucharist!  Of course I would want to live a life of purity of heart with my relationship with God and others.  Of course, out of love for the Lord, I'm willing to make active sacrifices and join myself to the poor who usually can't afford luxury food items like meat.  The rules are not a hindrance when we are deeply in love with the Lord!  Actually, the rules help us deepen our relationship with the Lord and his Church, the Body of Christ! 

So the next time you catch yourself complaining about the rules of the faith, which I have done from time to time, it's always good to ask the simple question; how is my relationship with the Lord?

I'm Going to Eat Healthy, Oh Wait... M&Ms!

When I worked for FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students), I was blessed to be trained in hiring future missionaries for the organization.  But because we would hire so many new missionaries each and every year, it was important to make sure we were hiring the best candidates.  Therefore we were trained by CEO's of major corporations on the best hiring practices.  The greatest lesson I learned was to look for the application of ideals vs. ideals.  For example, when interviewing a applicant for FOCUS, the applicant would express there love for prayer.  We were trained to follow up with a more specific question like, "When was the last time you prayed?  How did you pray?  How are you developing your prayer life?"  Usually these application questions would catch our applicants off guard!  Why?  Because application is more difficult than the ideal.

I had an opportunity to be a part of hiring a new principal at a recent assignment.  I asked the question to a former principal from another school, "What do you like about being a principal?"  He responded, "I like working with teachers, setting goals, and helping them achieve their goals!"  Sounds like a great answer, but I had to follow up, "Tell me about the last teacher you worked with, what goal did you set with them, and how did you help them achieve their goal?"  The former principal remained silent.  The ideal is so much easier then the application!

Now I know I pick on these two situations, but isn't that the same with me!  I love the ideal of eating healthy, or at least until a bag of M&M's are within my reach.  I love the idea exercising, until I actually have to exercise and get myself motivated to the gym!  How difficult it is to live the ideal out!  I love the ideal of humility, but I'll repeat the words I said to my parish about my competitiveness, "Yes I am a priest, and I will beat you!"



The application is more difficult than the ideal.   This was my meditation for this past Sunday homily, where we heard from St. Paul telling us that we have been freed from the slavery from sin! (Galatians 5:1).  How great an ideal!  Freed from sin and slavery, but how do we actually receive that freedom in Christ!  This application part can be the most difficult!  It can only be done in relationship! 
It is in relationship that draws us past the ideal.  It is love that moves us to action.  When we are in love we are drawn to act.  When we encounter Love itself, the Lord will draw us past the ideal and into the action of His Love! 

How do we enter into the relationship with the Lord?  In Word and in Sacrament!  Christ who is the Word made flesh and dwells among us (John 1:14).  He moves our hearts through Word and then he gives us his Body and Blood in the Eucharist!  There really is no greater love than this.  How could we not act after encountering such a love!

A Blog About Nothing

I recently had the opportuninty to preach on Nothing.  It's a topic that I've been reflecting on as I continue to move toward my priestly ordination.  When we think of the word of nothing, we can take two approaches: we can think of it in the lens of men or of God.  

Man; being influenced by the devil, the world, and our own brokeness; has a negative understanding of the word.  The devil, wanting us to believe we are nothing in the eyes of God, wants us to abandon God and for us to live our life for ourselves.  The devil wants us to believe God doesn't have a purpose or a plan for our life, and therefore, we are to make of it what we want (a life lived selfishly).  The world brings its own influences to the word.  To the world, in particular a capitalist society, you need to contribute and produce.  And if you don't, you are nothing!  Where does this, however, leave the young, the old, those who are sick or disabled?  The world dismisses them or at least tolerates them.  And finally in our own brokenness and weaknesses; as I get older, it is clear that I'm not capable as I once was.  This can bring doubts and questions of the inabilities and nothingness the future might continue to hold for me.

In all the negative influences, you can see how the word NOTHING can be scary when it is directed to our very life!  Yet the Scriptures reveal something different about nothing!  In Genesis, it is revealed in the creation account, the Lord created the world out of nothing!  But it's not the only time the God takes nothing and creates something beautiful.  The entire story of Israel in the OT is filled with constant works of the Lord in the nothingness of Israel.  In the New Testament, the Lord continues to bring something beautiful out of nothing, just look at his miracles and calling of the Apostles.  Look at the story of St. Peter, the first shepherd of the Church: here is a man, who was a fisherman off the sea of Galilee.  There was nothing special about his life.  If anything it would be easy to say he was nothing (to the devil, to the world, and even to himself).  Yet the Lord chose him, and lifted him up to the first shepherd of the Church.  In Christ's very life, we see Christ on the Cross.   To the devil, the world, and even in our own doubts, we might say there is pointless, nothingness of the Lord suffering on the Cross. And yet that was a moment that our salvation was even possible, where are Lord poured out His life for us!  Today, the Lord still works in the beauty of the Church.  At Mass we look at the bread and wine, and once again we are confronted by the devil, world, and our brokeness, and want to claim that it's nothing.  But at the words of consecration of the priest, through Jesus Christ, that bread and wine become his Body and Blood!  That nothingness becomes our everything!

We are constantly confronted that the Lord is active and working in our nothingness! If we are looking in the lens of the Lord, it should begin to excite us when we are confronted by our doubts, our brokenness, our weaknesses, our nothingness!   Because it is precisely in that moment that we know and see God at work in our lives! For only God can create something out of our nothingness.  This is why I'm getting excited about my priestly ordination not because God is choosing me because of all I have and been given, but because He is going to draw great and beautiful things out of me that which is nothing.