Category Archives: Uncategorized

Why We Celebrate Christmas

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thenativity%20600%20x%20300After hearing the Christmas story over and over, year after year, we might be tempted to take it for granted.  Yet if we think about it, God’s willingness to become one of us is the greatest act of humility and love in all of human history.  “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” John 1:14

Here we have God, the Father, creator of all that exists, creator of the millions of galaxies and the billions of stars whose distance is measured in light years; this God who created the atom and the molecule whose size is measured in nanometers – that’s one billionth of a meter; this God who created the human being with a body, soul, spirit and mind, became one of his created in order to free each of us from our sins and the world from its bondage to sin – to reconcile us to him and one another.

Father William Barry, in his book, A Friendship Like No Other, says, “God took humanity seriously enough to become one of us, and we do God no service if we downplay what God has done in becoming human.”

God in Jesus was a real human being, born of Mary in the humblest of circumstances in a cave or stable with animals nearby.  He had to be toilet trained, learn a language, be raised by real parents, work out his vocation and discern the will of God just as we do.   His family was forced into exile to Egypt to escape the sword of Herod.  After assuming his public ministry, the leaders of his own religion handed him over to the Romans to die a horrible death.  God is no stranger to suffering.  God in Jesus knows what human life is like from the inside.  His desire for friendship and to dwell with us and in us knows no bounds.

A cobbler does not become a shoe, a cabinet maker does not become a cabinet, but God the Father and creator of all that exists became one of us.  Little wonder that history’s calendar is measured in terms of before and after this event.

Let us celebrate the birth of Jesus for what it is – the greatest act of humility and love in all of history.

“Do Not Be Afraid”

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How much does fear drive your decisions? a7d73ba0293be4532f8852ba9f84b465

When God called Jeremiah as a prophet, Jeremiah resisted saying that he did not know how to speak and that he was too young.  The Lord responded, “Do not be afraid…for I am with you.” (Jer. 1:8)

Throughout scripture God tells people not to be afraid.  In Genesis, he tells Isaac not to be afraid of King Abimelech and the Philistines.  (Gen. 26:24)  Moses tells Joshua and the people to be e strong and courageous and not to be afraid of the people they will encounter when they cross the Jordan River.  (Deut. 31:6)  As Jesus sends out his disciples to heal, cast out demons and proclaim the kingdom of God, he tells them not to be afraid. (Mt. 10:26) When angels appear to Zachariah, Mary, Joseph and the shepherds in connection with Jesus’ birth, their first words are, “Do not to be afraid.” (Luke 1 and 2) Among Jesus’ last words to the disciples were, “Do let your hearts be troubled, do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

For God to place this much emphasis on overcoming our fears suggests that fear plays a significant role in whether we live by faith and make daily decisions in accordance with God’s will and purpose.

While fear is an emotion that is part of our human nature to protect us against threats to our safety, it can negatively impact us in many ways when carried to excess.  Examples include fear of rejection and what others may think; fear of being humiliated and corrected; fear of failure and defeat; fear of change and the future; and fear of physical harm and death, to name a few.

Fear can keep us from doing the things we should be doing, cause us to worry unnecessarily about outcomes, and even get us off track in fulfilling God’s will in various areas of our lives.

A couple of years ago, I felt a nudge from the Lord to volunteer with the Chaplain’s office at the local county jail.  After completing the training, I must confess that I was somewhat fearful and intimidated by the structure, discipline and strict procedures of the jail environment.  Even the sound of the heavy steel doors clanging behind me was intimidating.

After encountering the inmates, however, I came to realize that there was not that much difference between them and me.  We are each created by God in his image and likeness, and loved by him in the same way.  God has given me a love for these men.   

I hurt for them.  I desire for them to come into relationship with Jesus and be blessed by his presence in their lives.  This love for them has overcome my fear.  “There is no fear in love.  But perfect love casts out fear.”  (1 John 4:18)

Trusting in God and his love for us is the antidote to fear.  “The Lord is my light and salvation – whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1)

Speaking Truth to Today’s Issues

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Does political correctness and conventional wisdom deter you from speaking up for the truth of the Gospel on issues of life and morals?   

In recent years we have seen increasing cultural acceptance of governmental actions that erode the sanctity of life, God’s institution of marriage, and sexual identity.  Our health care laws require Catholic institutions to provide medical insurance for abortions.  Public accommodation laws require Christian business people to provide services for same sex marriage in contravention of their personal conscience.

More recently, the Fairfax County, Virginia School Board voted to include gender identity in their nondiscrimination polices.  Critics are concerned that it will lead to allowing students to choose bathrooms, locker rooms and even sports teams based upon their perceived sexual identity instead of their biological sex.  The school board’s excuse is that they are being mandated by the U. S. Department of Education to do this under the threat of the loss of federal funds of more than $41 million.

All of these proposals present a dilemma to Christians since they run counter to God’s Word found in the Holy Bible, natural law and even basic common sense.  How should we respond in the face of the so-called conventional wisdom and political correctness that seem to accompany these issues?

When God called Ezekiel to be a prophet to the Israelites in the sixth century, B. C., he said, “Do not be afraid of them or their words.  Do not be afraid, though briars and thorns are all around you and you are living among scorpions.  You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious.” (Ez. 2:6, 7) The Lord went on to tell Ezekiel that he would hold him accountable if he did not speak up.

How often does fear of what others will think cause us to withhold our comments on proposed government actions that erode our First Amendment rights to live out our faith in our daily lives?    

Fear is a powerful human emotion.  Perhaps that is why God was preparing Ezekiel to deal with the resistance he would encounter when he began to speak God’s word.  That is why God told Isaac, “Do not be afraid, for I am with you.” (Genesis 26:24)  He encouraged Joshua to be “strong and courageous.”  (Joshua 1:6)   The first thing the angels told Zachariah, father of John the Baptist, Mary, and Joseph was not to be afraid.  The first words of St. John Paul II to the people in St. Peter’s Square upon his election as Pope were, “Be not afraid.”

The more a culture moves away from God, the more it moves away from truth.  When Jesus, the embodiment of all truth, stood before Pilate and told him that he had come to testify to the truth, Pilate asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:37-38)

Fear is the favorite tool of the enemies of truth, but Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid.  I am with you always.”  (Luke 5:10; Mt. 28:20)

Belief in More than Ourselves

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What are the reasons for your belief or unbelief in God?

On a recent cruise vacation, my wife and I visited the Island of Gozo, part of Malta, where we toured the Ggantija Temples dating back to 3600 BC.  This makes them older than the pyramids of Egypt and Stonehenge in England.  Eighteen hundred years before Abraham, these ancient ruins reveal the human heart attempting to acknowledge a cause, force, or person larger than itself to explain our existence.

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God created us with a desire to seek him.  It is part of our DNA.  Intuitively, we know that there is something more than ourselves to explain all that we observe in the world in which we live.

The Book of Hebrews captures well what has happened and God’s intention.  “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Heb1:1-3)

God demonstrated his great love for us by becoming one of us in the person of Jesus, in order to bring his presence into the world in a very visible way at a specific time in history.  Jesus demonstrated his great love for us by sacrificing his life to free us from the grip of sin and Satan’s power over the world.  By the resurrection of Jesus, God confirmed the saving nature and power of that sacrifice.  

In contrast to the people of the ancient world, we are blessed to have the benefit of God’s revelation through the prophets, scripture, the words of Jesus and the teaching of the Church over many centuries.

God’s plan for creation is to dwell in us, his human creatures, through his son, Jesus Christ, so that we, with the power of the Holy Spirit, can partner with God in bringing his presence to the people and circumstances of our lives. 

God never stops reaching out to us.   Like the Father of the prodigal son, he is always waiting to receive us. (Luke 15:11-32)  Even when we have turned away from him, he is still seeking us.  Like the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine in search of the one lost sheep, God never stops loving us. (Luke 15:1-11)

We are incomplete without God in our life.  No matter the knowledge we have gained, the success we have achieved, the fame we have experienced, the wealth we have accumulated, the friends we have made, we are not complete and will not be satisfied until we ask the God of all creation to dwell in us.

Forgive me, Lord, for my sins and excluding you from the core of my life.  Come, dwell in my heart.  

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” (Is. 55:6)

A Surprising Outcome with the Lord’s Prayer

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Does our frequent use of the Lord’s Prayer result in it becoming a rote prayer with no power?

Over the past couple of years, I have been taking communion on Sundays to residents of a local nursing home.   One of the residents on the Alzheimer’s floor (we will call her Mary Jane) has always been eager to receive communion, but on a recent visit she became quite agitated and even accused me of wanting to kill her.  I was shocked as was her attendant, who tried to calm and assure her that everything was fine.  She would have none of it, and I retreated to call on other residents.

Last week when I returned to the home, I found Mary Jane just finishing her breakfast and asked if she wanted to receive communion.  She did not respond.  I knelt down beside her chair and asked if she would like to say the Lord’s Prayer.   I started to say it slowly, “Our Father who art in heaven…”  She quietly joined in, “Hallowed be thy name.”  As we continued, she pronounced each word in a slow deliberate fashion, “Thy – kingdom – come, thy – will – be – done, on – earth – as – it – is – in – heaven.”  She grew more emphatic, “Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” With a smile on her face and a look of contentment, we continued, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

I gave her communion, and then to my surprise, she said, “I love you.”  I responded, “I love you, too, Mary Jane,” and gave her a pat.  What a contrast to my prior visit! 

In reciting the Lord’s Prayer, Mary Jane may have been recalling a prior time in her relationship with God – perhaps in church, maybe in personal prayer or a family prayer time.  We can only speculate what she may have been thinking, but it brought her peace and contentment.

We must never underestimate the power of this prayer which Jesus used to teach his disciples how to pray.  Its proclamation of the holiness and omnipotence of God, and its petitions that God’s will to be done on this earth, that our daily needs be provided, that our sins be forgiven as we forgive others, and that we be protected from temptation and evil are a profound and eloquent summation of what counts most in life

Why should we be surprised that this prayer, testifying to the kingdom, glory and power of God, awakens a soul ensnared in the darkness of Alzheimer’s disease?

St. Paul declared, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power.” (1 Co. 4:20)  There is power in the Lord’s Prayer and God’s word.  May we all be awakened!           

Cut to the Heart

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Have you ever been cut to the heart by what someone says?   

That happened to 3,000 people who were listening to Peter on the day of Pentecost right after the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples.  The Book of Acts reports that when the disciples were anointed by the Holy Spirit various physical phenomena were seen and heard – the sound of a roaring wind and tongues of fire seen coming to rest on the disciples as they began to praise God in different languages.

Some who were present accused the disciples of being drunk, but Peter stands up and skillfully defends what is happening.  He boldly witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Quoting the prophets and psalms, he explains the historical basis for what God is doing in their midst.

Luke reports, “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’”  Peter answered, “Repent and be baptized…in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:37-38)

When we are “cut to the heart” by someone’s words, the Holy Spirit is usually convicting us of some truth or reality in our lives.  We know deep within our being that we must act on what we have heard.

Many years ago, at a Life in the Spirit program, I experienced the presence of Jesus Christ in a new and special way.  While at first believing that this experience was real, I started to have some doubts.  So, I sought prayer from one of the prayer teams to confirm that what happened was indeed real.

After they prayed over me and I started to walk away, a priest who was part of the team took hold of my arm and said, “You don’t believe!”  I looked at him, startled, and he said, “Oh you believe in God, but you are not sure that he has answered your need.  God doesn’t think you are half as bad as you think you are.  If you will just accept his forgiveness and love, good things will start happening in your life.” 

I was cut to the heart by his words.  While I had not shared with them what my doubts were, he spoke directly to them.  How could he know what I was thinking?  While I didn’t fully understand that evening what was happening, I later came to realize that the Holy Spirit had given him a word of knowledge for me, affirming my earlier encounter with the Lord and his forgiveness and love.

Like the people Peter spoke to on Pentecost, the words of the priest became a watershed moment, leading me to put Jesus at the center of all aspects of my life, including my marriage, family and work life.  While I don’t always meet the expectations of the call, my life has never been the same.

God loves to speak to us in the words of others, in scripture, and in his quiet whisper to the heart. 

Holding Up Our Leaders

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How do you support people in leadership – bosses, community and government leaders, pastors, etc.?   

The Book of Exodus reports that when the Amalekites attacked the Israelites in the desert at Rephidim, Moses stood on top of a hill with his arms raised and the staff of God in his hands.  As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but when he lowered his hands the Amalekites gained in the fight.  So Aaron and Hur had Moses sit on a rock and they held up his hands until sunset, and the Israelites won the battle. (Exodus 17:8-16)

A number of years ago in my morning prayer time, I found myself praying for my boss who headed up the legal department of the marketing and refining operations for a large international oil company employing several hundred lawyers.  He was an exacting boss, but a good person with great integrity.

While praying, I received the thought, “Why are you limiting your prayers just for your direct boss – why not his boss and the entire management team including the CEO and board of directors?  Pray for wisdom, integrity and love in how they oversee the operations of the company.  Your prayers can impact areas and operations of the company far beyond your immediate responsibilities and sphere of influence.”

At the time, this was a new revelation to me.  As Christians in the workplace, we have the opportunity through prayer to impact more than just the confines of our particular job or position.  We can intercede for God’s grace to impact even our bosses and the decisions they make.  We may not always see the direct results of our prayers, but we should never underestimate the power and influence they bring to the workplace.

Praying for our leaders is a way for us to hold up their hands in the battle they face in doing their jobs with righteousness, integrity and excellence. 

All kinds of leaders need our prayers.  Pastors and spiritual leaders are in particular need of our prayer support.  One of the first statements Pope Francis made after his election as he greeted the throngs in St. Peter’s Square was the request for people to pray for him.  He continues to repeat this request to nearly every individual and group he meets.

Governmental leaders also need our prayer support.  Their positions make them especially vulnerable to temptations involving pride and corruption.  Regardless of my respective politics, I regularly pray for the president’s protection, righteousness, wisdom and humility.  Remember the words of Jeremiah to the exiles in Babylon, “Work for the good of the country to which I have exiled you; pray to Yahweh on its behalf, since on its welfare yours depends.” (Jeremiah 29:7 JB)

Like Aaron and Hur, let us support the hands of our bosses, pastors, and leaders in community and government with our ongoing intercession and prayer.

Battling Temptation

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How do you fight temptation?  The Gospel of Luke reports that Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.  (Luke 4:1-2)

If Jesus, who shared our humanity, needed the Holy Spirit to resist the temptations of the devil, how much more do we?  Certainly, our fallen humanity makes us subject to all kinds of temptations.  The list is lengthy.  St. Paul says, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like.” (Galatians 5:19-21)

Other sins are more subtle, such as checking our faith at the door of our workplace, not taking time to listen to someone who is hurting or failing to be kind and respectful in our relationships.  These sins of omission can be just as destructive to others and us as the more obvious sins of commission.

There was a time in my life when I let my work and career take precedence over my wife and family, but fortunately I was invited by a priest and a group of nuns to be prayed with for the release of the power of the Holy Spirit.  Experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit in a more personal and real way opened my eyes to both the sins of omission and commission.  The Spirit gave me an entirely new perspective in how God was calling me to love and serve him through my family, work and ministry.

Experiencing the fullness and presence of the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential to resisting the devil’s many temptations. 

We all have different propensities to sin, but Jesus came to forgive and free us from our sins through the power of the Holy Spirit. I can personally testify that Jesus can set you free of a nagging, persistent sin.  Ask Jesus with all your heart to take a sin from you, and he will do so!   

Last week I received word that one of the nuns who had prayed with me years ago had died on Christmas Eve.  Her name was Sister Pauline Cinquini of the Sisters of Charity, part of the St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton House of Prayer in Scarsdale, New York.  She was truly a woman of God, using her gifts of love, teaching and music to bring the renewal of the Holy Spirit to countless people for more than forty years.

I will never forget her reassuring words of God’s love and forgiveness on an October evening years ago that, together with the power of the Holy Spirit, changed the course of my life forever.   I know she is in the presence of the Father, and as Paul says in 1 Cor. 1:9, we have not heard, seen or conceived what God has prepared for her.

By Jesus’ example in the desert, let us fervently seek the Holy Spirit in order to resist the temptations of the devil.  

 

 

“They Have No Wine”

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How reassuring it is that God, our Father, should concern himself with a practical thing like a wedding party running out of wine.  

Jesus and his disciples, along with his mother, Mary, had been invited to a wedding in Cana. (John2:1-11) At the reception, Mary learns that the host had run out of wine and asks Jesus to remedy the situation.  Though Jesus first responds that the time for his manifestation has not yet come, he accedes to his mother’s presumption when she instructs the servants to do whatever he tells them.  He instructs the servants to fill some large jars set aside for ceremonial washing with water, draw some out and take it to the headwaiter.  After the headwaiter had tasted the water turned into wine, he exclaims to the bridegroom that he had kept the best wine until the end.

There is a common notion by some Christians that we should only seek God’s assistance in important matters and not bother him with practical every day needs.  Situations involving life and death or economic calamity may qualify, but surely not replenishing the wine supply at a wedding party.

Yet, that is exactly what Jesus did at the request of his mother.  God places no restrictions on what we may bring to him in our requests for his action.  St. Paul says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Phil. 4:6)

As father of the bride and host of three of our daughters’ weddings, I would have been horrified if we had run out of wine.  No doubt Mary was a close friend of the family hosting the wedding at Cana, and brought God’s mercy to bear through her son Jesus.

Over the years, my wife and I have brought all manner of requests to God, our Father, from mundane things like a parking place at a busy shopping center to the healing of a daughter’s heart born with holes between the auricles and ventricles.  We have prayed for where we should live, the health and well-being of our children and parents, good schools, good neighbors, good friends for our children and their future spouses, safety in travel, wisdom in our relationships, and that we would all come to know God more each day.

We should not forget that in his suggested prayer to us, Jesus asked us to pray each day for our daily bread.  It is only natural that God, who created us in his image and likeness and entrusted us with taking care of his creation, would want to respond to our requests for the practical needs of life.

God Answers Intercessory Prayer

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Did Stephen’s intercessory prayer at the time of his stoning have an impact on Paul’s conversion?

The Book of Acts reports that while Stephen was being stoned, he fell to his knees and prayed, “Lord do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:60)  Watching on approvingly was a young Pharisee named Saul, later to become St. Paul.  Is it possible that Stephen’s intercessory prayer impacted Paul’s heart and opened the door to God seeing in Paul the potential to be God’s spokesman to the Gentiles?

While we can’t be certain of the answer to this question, at the same time we should never underestimate the impact of intercessory prayer.  We know that a similar prayer by Jesus from the cross had an impact on the centurion who oversaw Jesus’ Crucifixion.  In Luke 23:47, we read, “The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, ‘Surely this was a righteous man.’” 

When it comes to intercessory prayer, we can easily make the mistake of thinking, “Who am I that God should listen to me and change the order of nature or human life.”  Yet, Jesus urges us to “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you.” (Mt. 7:7)  He offers the parable of the persistent widow to show how we “should always pray and not give up.” (Luke 7:7)

Long before our three daughters were married, my wife prayed for each of them to meet and marry a good Christian man.  She offered the same intercessory prayer for our son to meet and marry a Christian woman.  This prayer was answered for each of them, and today all four of them along with their spouses are raising Christian families that have blessed us with many grandchildren.

Last summer we spent a week at the beach with all 24 of us under one roof.  Over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, we were able to be with each of the families.  With my wife’s initial prayers and our ongoing intercession over the years, we can echo the words of John’s gospel, “From the fullness of his grace we have received one blessing after another.” (John 1:16)

Inside my Bible I keep a yellow sheet of paper with numerous people’s names that need prayer for healing, discernment, guidance, protection and conversion.  Some of the people don’t even know that I am praying for them.  Others I have lost contact with, but I keep praying.  I don’t need to know the outcomes.  We never know when perhaps another St. Paul might be the result.