“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1Cor. 1:18)

To the Romans and the people of Jesus’ day, the cross was a symbol of dominance, suppression, and death.  To Christians, the cross is a symbol of love, giving of self, and the ultimate sacrifice.  God’s power and wisdom are made visible in love, sacrifice, and the subordination of our will to his. 

Out of love for the Father and us, Jesus subordinated his will to the Father and sacrificed his life on the cross.  As a result, God overrode the physical laws of nature and raised Jesus to life, an exercise of power that the world had never seen before, nor has it ever been able to replicate.

When the world exercises power, the consequences are experienced and then fade, becoming just another chapter in history.  Throughout history we have seen worldly powers come and go, but the power of God remains.  God’s power in a kind word, an act of love, and a surprising healing last forever.  Not so with the power of the world. 

We lament our sins and those of others, but the cross of Jesus is the antidote to our lament. It may seem as foolishness to the world, but to us, both individually and collectively, it provides the inspiration, instruction and saving power of God.  No matter what has happened in our lives, it provides the opportunity for forgiveness, redemption, and healing.    

Just this past week, a good friend described how she solicited many people to pray for her daughter-in-law who had a brain tumor which was discovered in connection with the treatment of a less serious medical condition.  The tumor was connected to major blood vessels in the brain and required very delicate surgery to remove it.  My friend sent 35 separate requests to friends on Facebook Messenger.  She had 15 nuns and 30 missionaries praying in the Dominican Republic. She sent requests to 150 people in a Christian community to which she belonged.  With all this prayer supporting excellent medical care, the tumor was successfully removed, and her brain was cancer free. 

These prayers may have seemed foolish to some, but it was the cross of Christ being embraced and the power of God being displayed.

How have you embraced the cross in loving and serving God and others?             

“And one of them struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said in reply, ‘Stop, no more of this!’  Then he touched the servant’s ear and healed him.” (Luke 22:50-51)

The Gospel of John says that the servant’s name was Malchus. (John 18:10) Jesus had just finished praying on the Mount of Olives when a large crowd sent from the chief priests came to arrest him. 

Imagine if you were Malchus.  You have accompanied a group of soldiers in the dark of night to arrest Jesus whom you have been told is an enemy of the Jewish religion and Israel.  One of Jesus’ followers attacks you with his sword, cutting off your ear. 

Then this Jesus, your supposed enemy, reaches out and touches your ear and it is fully healed.  One moment it is hanging there, bleeding, about to fall off, and the next moment it is completely restored.  One moment your adversaries are acting as you would expect adversaries to act, and the next moment Jesus, the object of your arrest, is reaching out to you, not to do you harm, but to undo the harm done by one of his followers. 

How can Malchus not be affected?  It had to be life changing.  Since John identifies him by name in his Gospel, it is likely that Malchus became a follower of Jesus and was familiar to John and the people for whom he wrote his Gospel. 

As with Malchus, Jesus is always ready to reach out to us.  In the most unlikely of circumstances, he is there, always inviting, ready to heal or respond to a need we have not anticipated.  In the ordinary and extraordinary, he is there.  Whether it is to open our life to him for the first time, or to go deeper in our relationship with him, he is present.

Like Malchus, I had an unexpected encounter with Jesus many years ago when a priest at a healing mass invited us to imagine that we were alone with Jesus and to give to him any need we might have.  For whatever reason I imagined that I was on a country gravel road south of Kansas City, Missouri on the way to my wife’s grandmother’s farm.  Jesus was standing there. 

I asked him if he would take away a sin in my life, and he did.  As a result, I invited him into all areas of my life, including my professional life, and my life has never been the same.  If you asked my wife, she would tell you that from that point forward, all my priorities began to change, as I sought God’s will in each area of my life as a husband, father, and an attorney for a large oil company.

Are you willing to be surprised by an unexpected encounter with Jesus? 

“It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a den of thieves.” (Mt. 21:13)

All four gospels relate the story of Jesus going up to Jerusalem at Passover and clearing the temple courts of cattle, sheep and doves, and the people who are selling them and exchanging money.  Obviously, he felt passionate about protecting the sacredness of God’s temple, and he was compelled to clear it of anything that detracted from that sacredness.

Bishop Fulton J. Sheen in his book, Life of Christ, observes that it was naturally a problem for people who came to the temple to offer sacrifice to get ahold of the material of sacrifice.  Accordingly, a flourishing trade in sacrificial animals gradually developed closer to the temple and, for the sake of convenience, eventually moved inside the temple courts.

Three different times in Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, he declares that we are God’s temple or that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and God’s Spirit lives in you?” (1 Co. 3:16)  If, as St. Paul says, we are a temple of the living God, then there may be things that need to be cleaned out from our lives in order to maintain the sacredness of our temple.

Like many a building or structure, we may have allowed things to accumulate that get in the way of our relationship with God.  Perhaps we have allowed anger, bitterness and unforgiveness to take up some of our space, maybe an addiction to alcohol, opioids or pornography?  Have we allowed work or some other activity to become an idol detracting from our responsibilities to family and others?   Have we allowed our busyness and other activities to get in the way of a regular time of prayer with the Lord each day?

When I was boy, I remember my mother doing “spring cleaning” every April.   She would take down our lace curtains to clean and stretch them, wash the windows and thoroughly clean the whole house.  My father would clean out the garage and basement of things that had accumulated over the winter. 

Similarly, we may need to do a periodic cleaning of our temple of the Holy Spirit.  Sometimes it may require just a good vacuuming or a little dusting; other times, a junk removal service may be needed. 

We can be confident that Jesus, who is experienced in clearing temples of things that don’t belong, will assist us in making our lives a fitting residence for the Holy Spirit and the presence of God!

What needs to be cleansed from your temple? 

“Our Father who art in heaven hallowed be your name…” (Mt. 6:9)

When was the last time you listened closely to the words of the Lord’s Prayer?

Before COVID I used to take communion on Sundays to Catholic residents at a nearby nursing home, including a few residents in various stages of Alzheimer’s.  Some of the Alzheimer residents are not able to receive communion, or are often asleep when I arrive, so I usually just say a short prayer with them.  

One Sunday, when I came to one of the women who had her eyes closed (let’s call her Alice for the sake of privacy), I gently touched her on the shoulder and asked her if she would like to say the Lord’s Prayer.  She opened her eyes in a kind of blank stare.  I knelt beside her, put my hand on her hand, and started to slowly recite the Lord’s Prayer.  Her eyes opened and she started to say the words with me.  Her eyes became wider and wider as she saw herself remembering the words.  A slight smile spread across her face.  She appeared as if she were proud of herself for remembering the words.  As we finished a small tear appeared in the corner of one of her eyes.  I said, “Alice, would you like to receive communion?”  “Yes,” she nodded, and I placed the Eucharist on her tongue. 

This was the first time that I had ever seen Alice receive communion.  It was as if the Lord’s Prayer had awakened her soul and memory, enabling her to recite the entire prayer.  It made the back of my neck tingle.

I was impacted by seeing the power of Jesus’ words on Alice, words Jesus suggested to his disciples when they asked him how to pray. (Luke 11:2) Perhaps for some of us the Lord’s Prayer has become so familiar that we may let the meaning of the words bounce right off our mind and heart.    

When I first started to take communion to the residents of this nursing home, I was uncomfortable with the Alzheimer’s residents.  In fact, on my second visit I skipped going to their floor. But after seeing the impact of Jesus’ words on Alice and watching how those words awakened God’s presence in her, I received a new love for Alice and all her fellow residents.

How do you maintain the meaning and power of the Lord’s Prayer in your life?    

“Peter followed him at a distance into the high priest’s courtyard, and was seated with the guards, warming himself at the fire.” (Mark 14:54)

Like Peter, we may profess our allegiance to Jesus that “even though all should have their faith shaken, mine will not be.” (Mark 14:29) We may recite the creed every Sunday declaring that we believe in “God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.”

Yet, like Peter, there may be times when we keep our distance from Jesus.  We may fail to show up for a daily prayer time before breakfast.  After a busy week of work, and a Saturday filled with our kid’s sports activities, we may let a round of golf take precedence over our attending mass on Sunday.

We may fail to respond to a friend’s request for help because it is not convenient.  We may put a higher priority on our comfort as Peter did when he warmed himself by the fire.

Like Peter, we may be thrust into circumstances where we are reluctant to be identified with Jesus.  In Peter’s case, it was the guards, the elders and the mob.  For us, it may be a boss who has disdain for God, or social friends who consider any reference to Jesus as foolishness.

Early in my career when I attended company meetings followed by cocktails and dinner, the conduct could sometimes get a bit macho and boisterous. It was not unusual for the conversation to involve exaggerated exploits, the building up of self and the putting down of others, off-color jokes, gossip, and the fawning over whoever might be the most senior person present. At some point I began to realize that when I went along with this I was distancing myself from Jesus. It was so easy to go with the flow and tempting to want to be a part of the group. It required a decision on my part not to participate.

Just as Peter’s faith was tested, so is our faith tested in numerous ways, some obvious and significant, others subtle and small. 

The world inclines us to keep our distance from Jesus, while Jesus bids us to draw near.  He says come to me all who are burdened from the cares of this world and I will give you rest.  Come to me all who are thirsty for meaning in life and I will give you understanding.  He says step across the distance that separates us, and you will experience my love, my strength, and my peace.  He warns us that in the world we will have trouble, but assures us that he has overcome the world.

Are there times when you follow Jesus at a distance?

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” (Matthew 25:35-36)

We may recognize this passage from yesterday’s gospel reading and what is sometimes referred to as the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, or The Judgment of the Nations. The King (Jesus) returns to judge the nations. He separates people by placing them on his right and left. To those on his right, he makes the above statement. They ask when did we feed you and give you drink, clothe you, take care of you, or visit you in prison?

He replies, “Whatever you did to one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”  In other words, when we serve the needs of others, particularly the “least,” we serve Jesus as well.

Two weeks ago, I broke my right wrist. Since I am right-handed, I have become very dependent, and my wife, Marilynn, has had to help me with many ordinary daily tasks that I can no longer do myself, including some of those mentioned by Jesus above. Since I am currently quite dependent, I fall into the category “least brothers of mine.”  She has done this with patience, understanding, and love.

Her support of me, however, is not a one-time thing for she has been doing this throughout our sixty years of marriage with our five children, thirteen grandchildren, neighbors, and friends. This has been particularly true with our daughter, Emily, who was born with Down syndrome and is now 37. After Emily completed her schooling, she worked for a bakery and catering business for twelve years until it closed its doors during COVID.

Since then, Marilynn has worked tirelessly in helping Emily fill her day with meaning and purpose. She has provided a daily routine with a morning walk and various chores including getting the newspaper, making the beds, folding the laundry, getting the mail, taking out the trash, and setting the table for the evening meal. She developed the idea of Emily serving coffee and cookies after daily mass two days a week at our parish, St. Mark. She hired a job coach to assist with the preparation of the coffee and got the staff and pastor’s support. Emily has developed quite a following of people attending daily mass who come to receive a smile, a hug, and a cup of coffee.

Jesus says, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 25:34)

How do you look for ways to serve “these least brothers of mine?”

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

These are the words of a father whose son was possessed by a spirit that frequently threw him to the ground with seizures.  The father said to Jesus, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”  Jesus replied, “Everything is possible for him who believes.” The father cried out in desperation, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.” Jesus commanded the spirit to come out of the boy and he was healed. (Mark 9:14-29)

Belief and faith are something Jesus holds in high esteem.  He says to people who have been healed through his prayer, “Your faith has healed you.” Yet, we sympathize with the father of this boy who has seen his son suffer for such a long time.  He has some belief, or he would not have asked Jesus to intervene.

Like the father in this story, how often is our faith challenged by a lengthy illness in ourselves or a loved one that continues indefinitely without any sign of improvement, or an addiction in a loved one that no amount of prayer seems to bring under control. We pray, we fast, and we ask friends to intercede.  We read scripture that tells us, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”  (Mt. 21:22)

Yet, the illness, the addiction, or the circumstance continues.  We become fearful that our belief is not adequate.  

Seventeen years ago, I was diagnosed with an advanced and aggressive form of prostate cancer. My Gleason score, a marker measuring the severity of prostate cancer, was a nine on a scale of ten. The pathology report from surgery showed that the cancer had migrated outside the prostate into at least one lymph node.

My wife, our five children and their families, and friends prayed for me. One friend was even so bold as to push his way into the pre-op room and pray over me and the two surgeons.  After surgery, I underwent hormone therapy for three years and my PSA, a measure of the presence of prostate cancer cells, was undetectable for nine years. Then my PSA started to rise again, and a tumor was detected above my bladder in 2021.  I underwent thirty-eight sessions of proton radiation, and my PSA has now fallen below the level of recurrence in the past year.

This week will mark the seventeenth anniversary of my surgery.  While I may have had moments of wondering whether my belief was sufficient, the faithful prayers of my wife, family, and friends re-enforced that belief.  I praise God for his healing presence through prayer, and for revealing his knowledge to the medical profession for the advances in prostate cancer treatment during this period.  Like the father of the possessed son, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!” 

How do you overcome your unbelief?

“Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” (John 14:23)

Jesus makes this promise to the disciples in his last conversation with them before his arrest.  This is not like the promise of heaven that we cannot experience until we die.  This is a promise for today!    

If we love Jesus and live by his teaching, he and the Father, the God of all creation, will take up residence in us through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus says this promise is not just his but the Father’s as well.  “The word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.” (John 14:24) If Jesus and the Father make their home in us, they take up residence in us and we become, as St. Paul says, “the is temple of the Holy Spirit.” (1 Co. 6:19)

Think of it!

Jesus and the Father are in us, present to us, available to us at every moment.  Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, they are available to guide our conduct and help us make the daily choices in our lives.  St. Paul eloquently captures the essence of this when he declares, “The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations is now disclosed to the saints…which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col. 1:26-27 NIV) Our hope is in Christ and Christ in us!

Why is it that so many of us do not always experience the reality of Christ residing in us?  The answer may be found in the individual choices we make that determine whether we bury God’s presence in us, or let him be seen, heard, and experienced? 

In my early adult years I lived my life in a way that mostly buried God’s presence in me rather than allowing that presence to be manifested.  I believed in God and attended church regularly.  Yet my Christian faith had become secondary to other priorities, namely career.  I hardly thought about God’s presence in me, and so that presence seldom impacted others.  

Fortunately, through God’s grace that changed one October evening when I experienced the opportunity to turn over my mixed priorities to Jesus.  It was a watershed moment.  I am still capable of messing up, but the good news is that we can repent of these times and bring our selves back into God’s presence.  We can then call on his gifts of wisdom, discernment, and courage to make daily choices consistent with Jesus’ teaching and partner with him in building his kingdom on earth in our time. 

Do you bury God’s presence in you or allow him to be seen in your actions and words each day?

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”  (Luke 12:48)

Jesus is talking to his disciples about the importance of a servant being watchful and found doing what is expected of him when his master returns.  He says the more responsibility that is given to you, the more that will be expected of you.

This is about our accountability to God for the life, time, talents, responsibilities, resources, and people he has given to us.  As in the Parable of the Talents, the master’s servants were expected to multiply the money that was entrusted to their care, not simply preserve it. (Matthew 25:14-30)

God creates each of us in unique and infinite ways.  No two of us are the same.  He creates each of us with unique physical, intellectual, and spiritual abilities and gifts “to work and take care” of the garden of his creation, and to love and serve him and one another in doing so. (Genesis 2:15)

As a father of five adult children, it is a blessing to see each of them use gifts that God has given them in addition to caring for their respective spouses and children.  To one has been given the gift of serving young people as a campus minister at a major state university.  To another has been given a way to teach history and make it come alive for her students.  To another has been given the compassion and understanding to oversee a special education program in a Catholic high school for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

To another, along with his wife, have been given their special gift to capture unique images of marriage in a wedding photography business.  To our youngest daughter born with Down syndrome, God has given the gifts of purity of heart and love, which she shares in giving hugs to people she greets.   

What’s important is not what gifts God has given to each of us, but that we are fully using the gifts he has entrusted to us for his purpose.  Our goal should be to hear the words of the Father at the end of our time on this earth, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Mt. 25:21) 

How are using the gifts God has given to you?