Deacon Joe

Have you ever been forced into doing something you didn’t want to do?  Herod finds himself in that situation in today’s Gospel. 

Herod had a big ego like most public figures throughout history.  While this is not the case for all public figures, it seems to be the norm.  It makes it easy for us to look at them and criticize them for their arrogance, greed, and control of everyone.  They are so blatant about it that it makes it easy for us to overlook the same attributes in our lives. 

Herod was used to being in control and anyone who defied him was crushed.  John the Baptist defied Herod when he told him that it was unlawful for him to have his brother’s wife.  Herodias resented that statement being made in public and held a grudge against John the Baptist.  She looked for an opportunity to get revenge. 

For some reason, Herod admired John and let him live.  Herod feared John because he knew John was a righteous and holy person.  Herod also liked to hear John speak even though he was puzzled by what he had to say.  So as much as we criticize Herod, he still had some deep-down feelings of worth in his heart. 

In today’s Gospel Herod spouts off about the fabulous dance that Herodias’ daughter performed for Herod and his courtiers, military officers, and the leaders of Galilee at Herod’s birthday celebration.  It is his undoing.  Herodias gets her chance for revenge. 

While it’s easy to be critical of public figures today, especially our President and Congressional Representatives who claim to be Catholic yet push legislation that destroys the family unit and our young people, we must remember that we too have many of these same characteristics.  The difference is that these characteristics are not so open and public. 

How many times are we critical of others at work or even at home?  How many times have we said something curtly or arrogantly in front of others that ends up putting us into the same situation as Herod? 

To save face and protect ourselves from humiliation, we get backed into a corner and do something we don’t really want to do, just like Herod.  The worst part is that it happens so quickly we don’t even realize it until we are there – backed into the corner and desperately trying to save ourselves from embarrassment. 

Herod was sorry and deeply distressed.  Herod had a choice.  He could have said no to the request.  But because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her.  In other words, he did not want to be humiliated in front of the guests.  

When we find ourselves backed into a corner like Herod, we must take the right the right course of action.  We must apologize for what we said and seek forgiveness from the persons whom we offended.  As Christians, we must not commit an act that leads us to commit a deeper sin under peer pressure just to save ourselves from humiliation. 

Taking the right action is asking a lot!  Yes.  Is it easy?  Definitely not.  Pray for strength to say, “I’m sorry but I am not going to mistreat a person because I said some foolish things earlier.” 

John the Baptist told the truth even when it was the unpopular thing to do.  We too must be willing to speak out when someone is being mistreated because of their race, culture, religion, marital status, or sexual orientation.  We must abide by our Church’s teachings for what is acceptable, but still treat each person with respect and dignity.  We must love them as Christ loves us. 

Throughout his ministry on earth, Jesus spent a lot of time talking about how hard it was to get into heaven.  Today’s Gospel has another of those instances where Jesus states it again. 

Someone asked him, “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. 

Notice that a person asked the question, but Jesus answered to the crowd. 

John Kavanaugh wrote: “The allusion to the narrow gate is found in Luke’s thirteenth chapter, which contrasts a self-defeating hardness of heart with redemptive repentance.  Those whose faith is sterile and lifeless hurt only themselves.  Those who are hypocrites fix their fate when they reject the truth.  Those who hate Jesus, along with Herod, slam the door on their salvation.  And those who refuse to be gathered in by Jesus as chicks are gathered by their mother are left to their own scattered journey. 

The narrow gates of the old cities were wide enough for a person to get through.  This gate is the size of a person because it is a person.  Jesus is the narrow gate, the way by which anyone can get through to the heavenly city. 

In all the debates over who and how many will be saved, in our own wonderings about our own eternal lot, it is instructive to remember a truth that is disconcerting yet calming.  We all most likely deserve a fate far less glorious than heaven.  After all, would not all of us be lost without him?  But through him, the narrow gate, all may enter paradise, one by one in salvation’s long procession.” 

A few sentences later, Jesus said: “And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’  Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.  Depart from me, all you evildoers!’ 

John Pilch helps us to better understand this section.  “Our group-oriented ancestors in the Faith put their primary and greatest faith in the family.  …  A second way of becoming “related” or becoming “an insider” is by the exchange of food through commensality, or eating together.  Friendships are sealed and strangers are integrated into the community by sharing a common meal, even when the ritual aspects of this act of eating together are not explicit. 

This understanding of table fellowship lies at the heart of Paul’s argument in Galatians.  Peter the Judean used to eat with Gentile converts (non-Judeans) and with this ritual action clearly proclaimed that Judean and non-Judean believers in Jesus were kin. 

Jesus’ contemporaries in the Gospel are claiming the same thing. “By eating with us, Jesus, you have made us kin with you.  We are your fictive relatives. Why now are you excluding us from fellowship?” 

Jesus’ answer has already been given earlier in this same chapter “Unless you repent, you will all perish . . .”  It is not enough to have shared a meal with Jesus.  A radical change of life is also necessary to establish a kinship relationship with him. 

Jesus’ contemporaries remind him: “You taught in our streets.” Jesus’ harsh reply to them insinuates: “Yes, but all you did was listen.  You did not take my teaching to heart and reform your lives.  You think superficial acquaintance with me and my teachings suffices.” 

The beautiful blessing of the mass is that we all come as family to the Table where the Priest blesses and consecrates the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

We come forward to receive Christ into our lives and our hearts as one family.  But, as John Pilch said, it takes more than eating together as a family to enter the narrow gate.  It takes more than just listening and receiving, it takes a change of heart.  A change in the way we see other people, in the way we treat other people and in the way we serve other people, especially the poor, the widow, the orphan, the immigrant, the stranger and the marginalized of society. 

Cardinal Timothy Dolan said, “Simply put, we’re in trouble because we as a people have forgotten God.”  He’s right.  We have become so accustomed to the alure of the world: social media, corporate success (which is not restricted to a large corporation), letting family activities like soccer, gymnastics and baseball consume all our free time and fun at the river or mountains to the point that there is no time for God. 

It takes more than going through the motions, than coming to mass when we have time, it takes a change of heart to see others like Christ sees them, to take action to serve those in need of God’s love. 

Moses gave us the Law, and the Prophets reminded us to live it.  But Jesus came with a new message of what I call ‘Intent Of The Heart’.  Jesus taught that if we are envious of what our family members or neighbors have achieved in life, it is sin.  He taught that our thoughts reveal the intent of our hearts and can be as sinful as our actions.  Jesus taught the hatred we feel toward another person we dislike or who has mistreated us is sin even though we may not take any adverse action toward that person. 

The Gospel from Friday read, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”  He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the greatest and the first commandment.  The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” 

If we love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and we love our neighbor as ourselves we are preparing ourselves to enter the Narrow Gate.  Jesus said to pick up our cross and follow him without reservation or looking back at the worldly alures that we left behind. 

The Responsorial Psalm today gives us the action we need toward the narrow gate, “Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.”  This is what Jesus commanded us to do, to tell and live the Good News.  We accomplish this by seeking God’s will for our lives, by loving and serving others, as Christ loves us that our faith and actions will make us strong enough to enter the Narrow Gate. 

The Gospel gives us some insight into the lives of Jesus and Peter.  At the end of the Gospel, Jesus tells Peter to catch a fish that will have a coin in its mouth that is worth twice the temple tax and he said, “Give that to them for me and for you.”  None of the other disciples are mentioned so there was only a need to pay the Temple tax for two people. 

Jesus was obviously grooming Peter for his role as leader of the church long before anyone was aware.  Jesus and Peter went to the Temple together to pray and worship without the rest of the disciples.  If it is mentioned in today’s Gospel, I’m sure this was not the only time it happened.  Jesus made sure that Peter received a basic understanding of the new message of salvation and a good foundation for his faith. 

The church has struggled throughout its history with arguing and bickering; sometimes to defend the faith against heresies and sometimes because of power struggles.  Defending the faith against heresies and evil is necessary and must be accomplished.  But the evil of power struggles can creep into the church and our own lives. 

We often want to make a point about our position on a specific issue.  It becomes about what we want to proclaim rather than what is right or wrong.  It’s about the outcome that we want to see. 

The temple collectors asked Peter why Jesus did not pay the Temple Tax.  Jesus teaches a lesson that only the outsiders, the foreigners pay a tax in a country.  Therefore, the tax should not apply to the citizens of heaven, especially the Son of God.  But Jesus teaches us a valuable lesson in today’s Gospel, Jesus is concerned about offending the Temple Workers. 

Paying the Temple Tax is not that big a deal, so it is better to pay the tax than to offend the Temple Workers trying to explain that he was he Son of God. 

This is important for us today.  Know when to pick your battles.  Defend the faith but it is not necessary to take everyone to task on minor issues that would only end up causing resentment and hard feelings toward you or the church. 

It is difficult to turn away from making our point or from pointing out what we think is the error in someone’s thinking.  If the issue is a clear-cut case of evil that needs to be defeated to protect the traditions and teachings of the church, we must defend the faith. 

But if it’s less than that, maybe we should let it alone.  Jesus took that position in today’s Gospel.  We don’t always have to force others to think like we think on every minor issue. 

Through prayer we can discern the times we must defend our faith and the times we should be silent.  Lord Jesus, help to know when to speak and when to simply pray. 

Recently, our readings have discussed possessions and following Jesus.  Last Sunday Jesus said: “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” 

In the Daily Readings for Friday Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? 

In today’s Gospel Jesus said: “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”  It’s so easy to become enthralled with the good feeling we get when we buy something.  We enjoy looking great in the new clothes we bought or enjoy watching the new ‘big screen’ tv.  The new car shows that we have achieved success and are living the good life. 

We typically think about the “Treasures” being things that we can touch, hold, or in the case of electronics, listen to the latest hits and stream the latest movies and shows. 

That “Treasure” that Jesus was talking about can be more than physical possessions.  When we succeed at work or school and others praise us or admire our achievements, we glory in their praise. 

That “Treasure” can also be a spouse, a child or even a cause.  It’s easy to get wrapped up in a cause like the Pro-Life movement or a political party, an environmental cause like Climate Change or be so focused on the current crisis in the world or social media that it consumes all our time. 

It becomes our treasure because that’s where all our energy and effort go to the detriment of other, more important needs in our lives.  And it happens so easy that we don’t even recognize that it is happening. 

Gymnastics, baseball, and soccer demand most of the weekend and many evenings.  And let us not forget RE for the youngest child on Sunday morning, Confirmation class for the oldest child on Wednesday evening, and youth group for the other two on Sunday evening. 

Parents with children at home wonder how they can keep up with it all.  A newborn is a blessing and a joy while at the same time needing feeding, changing, and cuddling. 

More often today, in addition to taking care of their children, parents find they are taking care of their parents too.  As their parents age and begin to need help, that takes time to pick up medications, go to the grocery store, stop and check to make sure they are ok.  It all takes time and can become a nightmare to keep up with it all. 

We think that once we retire life will be our own.  But that really doesn’t happen.  We have grandchildren to watch, Bible Study, Prayer Group, and Daily Mass. 

None of these things are evil or bad.  The problem is that these things and activities become the focus of our life.  We fail to read scripture and pray like we should because we are too busy with Life.  It’s easier to sit in front of the tv or reply to social media than to spend time with God. 

We can even be doing the right thing for the wrong reasons.  We volunteer at the Food Bank so people will see us and think well of us or complement us on our service.  The gratification we get from being recognized and honored is the primary reason we serve, instead of helping others know that God loves them and is providing for their needs. 

Jesus tells us to serve others to share God’s love with them rather than for the good feeling we get when others tell us how great we are for serving others.  A humble heart serving others is visible to those we serve.  They can tell when we are simply going through the motions, or when we are truly sharing God’s love to support them in their time of need. 

This also applies to our family and spiritual life too.  We can be so busy that we fail to take time to spend with our spouse – alone.  Just the two of you talking, holding each other, praying together for God’s guidance. 

We can get so busy that it is impossible to quiet our minds to read the scriptures, ponder meditations, pray, and spend some time alone with God.  The things we need to do at work tomorrow, trying to remember to take a child to school in the evening for band practice, get milk on the way home from work, and …. and … and the list goes on and on. 

All these things are important.  Forgetting a task at work might mean a corrective action or a lost promotion.  Forgetting to take a child to school for band practice means a hurt and irate teenager. 

I understand; I’m retired, and I struggle with the same distractions when I pray a rosary, pray morning and evening prayer or Compline.  There are things I must remember to do and I’m afraid I will forget.  Trying to concentrate on the eternal treasure with all these distractions is difficult. 

Do these pressures make you feel overwhelmed at times, or maybe most of the time?  If so, do not feel alone; it happens to all of us.  We all struggle with the challenges of life.  We struggle with how to both; survive life and serve God in the daily grind.  It’s not easy. 

Sister Joyce Zimmerman helps us put things into perspective when she wrote: “There are many treasures found in this life, for example, family, home, community, friendship, integrity.  Good as these are, they are nonetheless exhaustible.  What the Father offers us is an inexhaustible Treasure: the fullness of the Life of the risen Lord.” 

Each of us must decide.  Am I truly seeking an inexhaustible treasure in heaven?  Do my actions show it?  Where is my heart? 

When Jesus was stressed or felt overwhelmed, he would slip away from the crowds to a secluded place to pray and meditate.  Sometimes Jesus would have one or several of the disciples with him but often he would be by himself.  This was time to think and ponder the world around him, the pressures of ministry so demanding that sometimes he could not even get a chance to eat, about his coming passion and death, and to pray with his Father. 

When Jesus heard about the death of John the Baptist, he got in a boat and went to a deserted place to be alone to regain his strength.  The boat had to be a small boat that he could use by himself.  People saw Jesus leaving in the boat and followed along the shore hoping to be cured or have a family member cured, or to see a miracle and hear Jesus teach. 

Frequently the Gospels tell us that Jesus was moved with pity when he saw the crowds that came to be close to him.  He was moved with pity because he loved the people as his Father loved him.  He would cure their sick and teach them about the Kingdom of God using parables. 

We all need the quiet time away from everyone, including our spouses and families to pray and meditate.  Reading scripture, a devotional or a spiritual book, and prayer helps us draw closer to God, just as Jesus did. 

When we, like the crowds, seek Jesus for healing and strength to deal with everyday burdens and anxieties, we find that Jesus is there waiting for us.  He calms our fears and gives us peace to comfort us in our troubled lives.  Jesus looks at us with the same pity he felt for the crowds because he loves us so much. 

When it seems that the world is crashing in on us and we have no where to turn, we turn to Jesus knowing that his love is always there for us.  Regardless of our sin, we can approach Jesus with a sorrowful heart and receive forgiveness. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus took two fish and five loaves, looked to heaven, said the blessing, broke them and fed five thousand men plus women and children.  If Jesus could do that, he can feed our heartbroken, hungry souls and draw us closer to God. 

In a few moments, our priest will consecrate the bread and wine which will become the body and blood of Christ.  Jesus will feed us to nourish our souls and sustain us for the trials and temptations that come every day. 

We must approach with a heart that is truly sorry for the times we have failed and sinned.  The Psalmist understood this when he wrote:

For in sacrifice you take no delight,
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
my sacrifice, a contrite spirit,
a humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.

Jesus is here with us at this very moment, waiting for us to approach him with a humbled, contrite heart.  Then the miracle of feeding the crowds will happen again.  He will feed each of our hearts for the trials and temptations ahead. 

“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 

Jesus replied that “no sign will be given”.  How many times in our lives have we asked for a sign from God?  Or made promises that if God did a favor for us, we would be good or repay God in a certain way? 

As a child, did you ever pray to God for a shiny bicycle promising that you would be perfect for a year or maybe the rest of your life?  Or as we grow older, ask God to cure your child, parent or spouse from a terminal disease and you would turn from your sinfulness and follow him?  In a sense, we are asking God for a sign even though we are really trying to bargain with God for something we want. 

Later in life, we have difficult decisions to make and ask God for a sign to help us make the right decision.  Lord, send a Cardinal to my windowsill this morning and I will accept the offer from College A or a Jay bird and I will accept the offer from College B. 

Or, Lord, let my current manager come and talk to me now and I will reject the offer for a new job in another department that means more pay but also more responsibility that I’m concerned may require too much time away from my family. 

We basically know that we can’t bargain with God.  God’s love is forever there for us regardless of our sin and failures.  Asking for God’s guidance is critical in our lives, and we should always seek God’s will.  However, asking for a concrete sign from God that we define isn’t the right approach to finding God’s will in our lives. 

Jesus said that “no sign will be given on that day except the sign of Jonah the Prophet.  Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.  Jesus was referring to his Passion and death, spending three days in the grave and rising to bring us salvation.  Jesus was telling us to seek God’s love, to accept God’s salvation which is freely given to us by his death and resurrection. 

Yesterday’s Gospel was about Martha worrying about having to take care of all the tasks at hand while Mary was with Jesus.  This is what Jesus was telling Martha.  Don’t worry about looking for signs and revelations, seek God with all your heart and all these other things will be taken care of by your Heavenly Father. 

Our psychological make up wants concrete answers and relying on God to provide is difficult for us.  We want our life planned out and know what profession we will follow, who we will marry and how we will succeed. 

Our individualism demands that we take care of everything, that we solve every problem and that we are in control.  It is extremely hard, if not almost impossible to put our ego aside to trust in God and not ourselves. 

Lord, help us to stop bargaining with you and looking for signs but seek your love with our whole heart instead. 

Jesus frequently took his disciples aside to teach them how to live after he would leave them.  The disciples had no idea what was in store for Jesus and how he would die.  But Jesus knew and prepared them to build the church after his resurrection. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said to his Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.  I have come to bring not peace but the sword.”  Jesus continued to say, “and one’s enemies will be those of his household”.  Extremely harsh words for someone who proclaimed the Good News to the poor.  But Jesus had to prepare his disciples for the future. 

Then Jesus begins to put things into perspective.  He said:

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 

These were the conditions of Discipleship that Jesus gave to his disciples.  Absolutely nothing could come in between them and God.  And they apply to us today just as much as to Jesus’ Disciples in that time. 

Jesus was teaching that they had to follow him without any reservations.  Nothing in their life could be more important than following him.  Jesus knew that they would have doubts and fear for their lives, even to the point of denying that they knew him.  But Jesus had to plant the seed, teach the important truths so when the Holy Spirit comes, they would have the knowledge to know what to do and what to teach others. 

Jesus was preparing his disciples to understand that people would hate them just as people of that time hated him.  But he did not stop with the cost of discipleship.  Jesus also taught them the rewards for being a disciple.  Jesus said that regardless of which position we serve him; whether a prophet meaning a leader, a righteous person meaning a layperson living a holy life or a person who is providing a drink of cold water to his disciples, they will be rewarded. 

The message that Jesus taught in his day was to love God more than anything else; more than family, more than power, more than comfortable lifestyles, more than themselves.  This last one, more than themselves, is probably the most difficult value to release to Jesus. 

In our consumer materialistic world today, it’s all about me; what I want, what I need and what makes me happy.  It’s all about me.  Jesus said this in the Gospel: “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” 

We can find our life in the success of work, material wealth and control over others.  We think that we have achieved success with these things and we are in control of our lives, but we have let these things come between us and God.  It is only when we have completely surrendered our lives to Christ; when we have made him the most important value for us, even to the point that we are willing to die for our faith in him, that we will find our life in heaven. 

Let us pray that Jesus will help us lose our lives to the enticements of this world so we can find our life serving others and sharing Christ’s love with them.