Author Archives: Deacon Joe Shriver

This is Mission Sunday so our thoughts turn to one of the great missionaries in the New Testament.  Paul made three missionary journeys all over modern Turkey and Greece and then eventually went to Rome to evangelize the Gentiles.

When we think of missions we naturally think of going to another land to preach the Gospel like Paul.  This brings the question of what does it take to be a missionary?

Rev. Joel DeSelm wrote an article for the Missionary Church Today titled “Want to be a better Witness?

A young missionary candidate has already passed the theological, psychological, and behavioral screenings in order to head to the mission field.  All that remained was his interview with the main examiner for the mission agency.  And so at 3:00 AM on a cold February morning, the young man walked into an office for his scheduled interview with the examiner.  He waited until 8:00 AM when the examiner arrived.  The examiner said, “Let us begin.  First, please spell apple.”

“A-p-p-l-e” the young man replied.

Very good.  Now let’s see how well you know figures.  How much is three times five?”

“Fifteen” replied the applicant.

“Excellent” the examiner said.  “I’m going to recommend you to the board for approval to become one of our missionaries.  You have passed the test.”

At the board meeting the next day the examiner spoke very highly of the applicant and said, “I recommend him to you with no reservations.  He has all of the qualifications to be an effective missionary on our staff.  Let me explain…

“First, I tested him on sacrifice and self-denial.  I told him to be at my house at three in the morning.  He left a warm bed and came out on a cold winter morning without a word of complaint.  Secondly, I tried him out on the follow-though and punctuality.  He showed up as he said he would and he was there on time.  Thirdly, I examined him on patience and flexibility.  I made him wait for five hours to see me, after telling him to come at three.

Fourthly, I tested him on anger management issues.  He didn’t show any sign of frustration, anger, or resentment; in fact, he didn’t even question my delay.  Lastly, I evaluated his humility.  I asked him questions that even a young child could answer and he showed no offense or irritation.  I feel he meets the requirements we need for a missionary.  I present him to you as a young man that the Lord can use mightily.”

I wonder if I would have passed that test, especially in my younger years when I was impatient and demanding.

When I was in High School, I felt called to be a missionary in Kenya to work in broadcasting for a protestant denomination.  Television was just getting started in those days and trained workers were needed.  Even though I failed to accept the call, God still worked with me over the years.  Eventually, I became Catholic, listened to God’s call again and this time was ordained a deacon in 2007.

In the second reading Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica: “We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, …”

The words “your work of faith and labor of love” really say it all.  While Paul was a missionary, the people of Thessalonica lived there.  Paul was praising them for faith and love for others in the city and neighborhoods where they lived.

There are many ways to serve.  We do not always have to go far away to another land to learn a new language and culture.  We do not have to join a religious order or become ordained.

The motto on the Alaskan Shepard newsletter published by the Mission Diocese of Fairbanks reads:   “Some give by going to the Missions;   Some go by giving to the Missions;   Without both there are no Missions.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said to “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”  Jesus understood that daily life places demands on our time and money when he said to repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.  But he also showed us that God was part of life’s equation when he said to repay to God what belongs to God.  Please give as generously as you can to support the missionaries serving in other lands and cultures.

The mission field is all around us wherever we live.  As we witness to those around us, will we display the qualities of the young missionary applicant?  Are we willing to make sacrifices to serve others?  Will we be patient when others don’t understand why we serve God?  Will we be loving and kind in the face of ridicule and taunting?  Some of us will serve in the mission fields; some of us will support by funding the mission programs; all of us will live God’s love to others.  How will we repay to God what belongs to God?

Over the past few weeks, we have discussed what it means to be good stewards of what God has given to us.  Being good stewards is critical to our spiritual wellbeing.  We must listen to God’s voice and then serve God in our actions.

How do we serve God in our actions?  The Old Testament and Jesus gave us the guide lines to follow in serving God.  When we serve those who are in need: the poor, the widow, the orphan and the stranger, we are serving God.  The vineyard in today’s parable is the world and the sons are everyone living in it.  The parable gives us two very different responses to the father’s request of the sons.

We have talked before about how public family life is in Middle Eastern culture.  The conversation between the father and sons in the parable would have taken place in the market area in front of all the community to see and hear.  One son, to save face and his honor, tells his father that he will go into the vineyard to work without any intention of doing it.  The other son tells his father no even though that would be disrespectful and dishonor him in front of the others observing the discussion between him and his father.  He has a change of heart and goes into the vineyard to work as his father requested.

The two sons represent the religious leaders and the religious outcasts who followed John’s call to repentance.  Jesus put the religious leaders in a difficult position.  If they answer the son who honored his father by saying yes, but did not go, the people could turn against them.  They responded with the son who said no but then repented and went into the vineyard and worked.  The chief priests and the elders condemn themselves by the answer they give to Jesus’ question.  Jesus responds with a condemnation because they refused to act and accept John’s call to repentance.

Being a Christian is more than just talking the talk like the son who said yes but did not go; it requires that we walk the talk.  The religious leaders in the parable were great at instructing the people how to follow the rules, and they were great in publicly obeying the rules, but like the son who said yes to the father, they did not follow the rules in their hearts or in their private actions.

The two sons point to the difference between saying and doing, a theme that is important in the Gospel of Matthew.  Jesus constantly used the teaching from the Psalms as a guide for how to live: take care of the poor, the widow, the orphan and the stranger.

Many people today talk the talk by explaining what is wrong with the system and how we must make changes to help the marginal in society, but most never get beyond the talk.  Some actually take action to change laws, to provide for others needs and help heal those who are discouraged and in the depths of despair.

There are many ways for us to take action: the Outreach program at Holy Cross, Food for the Poor, Catholic Community Services, Peter’s Pence and many other Catholic organizations who follow Jesus’ teaching and work to make a positive difference in the world.

Each of us can also work through the legislative process to tell our representatives to enact laws and regulations that protect those on the margins of society.  The orphans, the children who are detained by Immigration without any place to go; the homeless, who wander the streets of the areas where we live without a place to get in out of the rain; the mentally ill who need medical help but there is no funding for them to receive treatment.

Jesus gave us the parable of a father who asks his two sons to do something: one says he will do it but doesn’t, the other son said no his father, but then does what the father asked.

We often treat God, our Heavenly Father, like one of the persons in the parable.  But it doesn’t have to be that way.  Jesus gave us an example different from either son in the parable; he not only said yes to his Heavenly Father but also willingly followed his father’s will – even to death on a cross for the salvation of the world.

We too can do the same.  We can say yes and live our lives serving others: the poor, the orphans, the widow and the stranger.  The underlying lesson in the parable is that we need to be good stewards of God’s blessings to us by serving those in need.

In the parable, the father told both sons to go into the vineyard to work.  What will happen to those who are in need if we fail to act?  The orphans detained by Immigration need someone to speak for them.  Will we contact our legislators in Washington DC and Olympia to push for immigration reform?  The homeless need a place to stay and a warm meal.  Will we volunteer some time at the Gospel Mission to serve a hot meal and a smile with a person who has lost everything; including their dignity?  The mentally ill need someone to push for funding so they don’t end up in the jails due to lack of treatment.  Will we ask the government agencies and our legislators to provide more funding for medical treatment to help them?

These are the people who need our help the most.  Will we move away from telling everyone what’s wrong with the system and go into the vineyard of the world to work for positive change?

The Cross!  The cross is an important symbol to people in all parts of world and throughout all time.  For some it is a symbol of fear and suffering while for others it is a symbol of great rejoicing.

The Roman government was proficient at controlling the masses of peoples in the lands that their armies had conquered.  Flogging and crucifixion were two very public effective means of controlling the masses.  If you witnessed a crucifixion, you never wanted to go through that much pain and suffering so you would be submissive and do whatever the government wanted to avoid it.  Sometimes the Romans would let the bodies decay on the cross so the stench would burn the image of suffering into every person’s memory.  Many of the early Christians were crucified for their faith.

For Christians, the Cross is not the end.  It is a symbol of the death Christ suffered which was overcome by his resurrection.  On Good Friday, we hear the familiar chant: “Behold the wood of the cross, on which hung the Savior of the world!”  We respond “O come let us adore.”  The Cross is venerated for the symbol of love poured out for each of us by God’s only Son.  The Cross became a symbol of joy because of the love that Christ gave us.

The Cross is vital to our Catholic faith.  We use the Sign of the Cross all the time.  When we enter the sanctuary, we bless ourselves with Holy Water making the Sign of the Cross as a reminder of our Baptism by water.  The Catechism reads: “The sign of the cross, on the threshold of the celebration, marks with the imprint of Christ the one who is going to belong to him and signifies the grace of the redemption Christ won for us by his cross.”

We also learn from the Catechism that “The Church is born primarily of Christ’s total self-giving for our salvation, anticipated in the institution of the Eucharist and fulfilled on the cross.”  The cross is ingrained in our Catholic faith.

We make the Sign of the Cross whenever we pray: both at the beginning of our prayer and at the end of our prayer.  This is a reminder of our relationship with God.  Whenever we make the Sign of the Cross, let us remember that we dedicate our entire lives, our mind, our soul, our very being, to loving and serving God.  In the darkest times of our lives, the Sign of the Cross reminds us of the hope we have in God, that he will not forsake us.

Paul wrote in the second reading that Jesus “humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross”.  Paul referred to the cross in a manner that showed that it was a horrific and shameful death.  Paul continued “Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, …. and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

You see, it’s not just about the cross.  It’s really about God’s love for the people he created; for the people who turned their back on him by sinning against his commands.  The first reading makes that explicit.  Israel sinned against God and God punished them by sending poisonous snakes.  Healing required an action on the part of each person who was bitten by the snakes.  The person who was bitten had to look at the bronze image of the snake to be healed.  Not everyone who was bitten would look at the bronze image but only the ones who looked were healed.

The same is true for us today.  Father John Foley, a Jesuit Priest, wrote “Jesus, in effect does the same thing at the end of his life.  He himself is lifted up on the cross, like the serpent, and ever since then, those who will contemplate the savior in his pain and death are given the grace to behold their own distance from God — their sin.”

By acknowledging our sinfulness and taking ownership of our sins, we can ask God to forgive us.  We must take action; we must take ownership of our sins and look to the Cross and ask for forgiveness.  We find forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Then we can receive God’s gift of eternal life that is a result of his love described in today’s Gospel: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”  What a tremendous love!  God wants to return us to communion with him even though we have sinned.

Once we have acknowledged our sins and received God’s forgiveness, it is impossible to keep that much love to ourselves.  We must share it with others.  That’s what happened to Peter and the Apostles after Pentecost.  They boldly proclaimed the Risen Christ regardless of the threats or consequences.

At times, it is difficult to share God’s love.  Especially when others, even family members, have hated us and mistreated us.  We put up barriers to protect ourselves from others but a little bit of us dies with each barrier.  We retreat from God’s love trying to protect ourselves.  If we are not careful, we may even begin to hate or wish evil on those who mistreat us.  We must forgive others in order to receive God’s full forgiveness ourselves.

The Christians in Iraq and Syria are being martyred today because of their faith.  It’s not even happening in our country or to us but it is easy to feel hatred toward the ISIL.  Can we forgive the ISIL for these atrocities the same way that Jesus forgave those who crucified him?  It is so easy for us to hold grudges and separate families over things that are insignificant by comparison.

The Cross is powerful.  Every time you see a Crucifix, whether it is hanging around your neck, hanging on the wall in our homes or a large one hanging in the sanctuary of our church, let us make the Sign of the Cross to remind us of God’s great love for us and to ask for strength to share that love with others.

Will the Cross be a reminder to us of God’s love?  Or will it just be a cross that is pretty to look at but just a work of art without any meaning?  Will the Cross be a reminder of God’s love for me?  Will we take the first step this week to forgive the friend or family member who mistreated us?  Will we go out of our way to share God’s love with everyone?  Even those who hate us?

“But who do you say that I am?”  Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

The culture of our modern society, and especially here in the United States, prides itself in being very individualistic and competitive.  We go to great pains to be different by the way we present ourselves and post on social media. We are always trying to outdo everyone around us.

Ancient cultures were the exact opposite because for them it was about the community and honor.  A person was expected to follow in their father’s footsteps and take the same occupation; if your father was a carpenter, then you were a carpenter.  People were even expected to have certain characteristics and reputation based on the town where the person lived.

As we leaned, Mediterranean people would do anything to avoid shame to the family.  Lying or stealing or bearing false witness to bring shame to someone else while preserving one’s honor was considered an extraordinary accomplishment.

This style of community was taken to an extreme.  They relied on others opinions to mold their character and to behave in accord with the community values and culture.

John Pilch wrote: “Experts describe them [Mediterranean People] as dyadic personalities.  The word dyad means “pair.”  Such people are other oriented to such an extent that they have no sense of their individuality but depend rather on the opinions of others to help them know who they are.  It reflects a normal Mediterranean curiosity, a dyadic personality, about what other people think.”

Based on this culture, Jesus asked the disciples “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”  They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  What a wide range of responses!  Throughout time, most people and leaders considered Jesus a great prophet.  The Mormons and the Muslims consider Jesus a prophet, a religious man.  Even today, many people will answer the same way.

Then Jesus asks another question, as he always seemed to do, that got to the very heart of the matter and personal.  “But who do you say that I am?”

It is ironic that Peter is the one who answers.  Just two weeks ago, it was Peter who stepped out of the boat to walk toward Jesus on the water.  Peter seemed to be the most outspoken and at times even a bit rambunctious of the disciples.  This characteristic would serve him well in the future after the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples.  Peter would speak boldly in front of everyone to proclaim that Jesus was the Messiah.

Peter reiterates his faith when he said “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus said to Peter that “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.”

Even though our culture is very individualistic people still try to influence who we are and how we act.  The media is anti-Christian while honoring those who deny God or are of other beliefs.  The materialistic values society holds and the competitiveness of everything we engage in is frequently at the cost of someone else’s dignity and value.

It is easy for us to be influenced by these values when everyone around is pressuring us to be like them.  In his response to Peter, Jesus gave us the way to avoid those pressures from society.  “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.”  The way the Heavenly Father reveals himself to us is for us to spend time in prayer and meditation away from the crowds.  Jesus was constantly doing this throughout his ministry.  When the crowds would press in and Jesus spent hours healing the sick and touching their lives, he would slip away to refresh his body and spirit through prayer.  It is critical that we too spend time in prayer so that our faith is strengthened.

While spending time in prayer is desperately needed for our spiritual welfare, it is difficult to do.  There are so many things that demand our attention.  The job probably consumes the most time in our lives.  Next are school and the children; there are baseball practices, school plays, swimming and wrestling practice, soccer games and the list goes on.  Just ask any parent.  Then there are the times when the family gets together.  And then there is parish council, RCIA classes and youth meetings to attend.

We need the quiet time away from the world to let God reveal himself to us.  Jesus praised Simeon for his answer and gave him the name Peter, the Rock on which He will build His church.  This was the beginning of our church: The Roman Catholic Church.  Peter was the first Pope and the legacy of the church is still alive today.

When do I have the time to pray?  We don’t!  We have to schedule time for prayer just like we schedule everything else.  If we fail to make time for prayer, then the voices of society influences our lives, our thoughts and we will follow them.  Little by little we begin to embrace the ideas that it is ok to cheat a little, it is ok to be rude to others, it is ok to only think of one’s self and what is good for me.

Will I schedule just five minutes a day to spend in prayer?  Will I pray the Our Father at least once a day to start?  Will I find time to seek God so that I know in my heart like Peter that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God?

Jesus still asks us today: “But who do you say that I am?”