You are Not

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today’s gospel is a continuation of Matthew 18 that we heard last week. The theme last week was Christlike conflict resolution or a Christian grievance process. I called it our Christian code of ethics. This week Jesus takes the matter much further. Not only are we called to settle our differences, we are called to forgive each other totally, unconditionally and from the heart.

In today’s gospel from Matthew 18:21-35, St Peter asked Jesus, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? As many as seven times?" Jesus’ answer was staggering, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” Jesus then told a parable about a man who was forgiven a colossal debt but who in turn refused to forgive a very small debt. The man was turned “over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.” And Jesus warns us that “So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart." According to Jesus, there is no statute of limitations on forgiveness.

As adult Christians, we all know that forgiveness is one of the keys to the kingdom. Yet so often we are like the sinner in today’s first reading from Sirach 27:30, “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight.” Why do we do it? What is it about bitterness, vengeance and hate that is so addictive? To be honest, I don’t know the answer. But I do know that clinging on to these destructive emotions can enslave us and prevent us from living full, joy filled lives.

Tomorrow the Church celebrates the great Feast of the Exultation of the Cross. For us the Cross is one of the primary symbols of our faith. It is a sign of God’s unconditional love for us. It is our sign of hope. Without the Cross, there would be no resurrection, redemption or salvation. In the gospel for tomorrow, John 3:13-17, Jesus tells Nicodemus and he reminds us that God loves us so much that he “gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” Through His death on the Cross Jesus shows us the way to the Father, the way of humility, obedience and love. Part of the redeeming power of the cross is the powerful way that Jesus, nearing death, had the capacity to forgive. God loved us so much that he sacrificed his only Son for us. Jesus loved us so much that, not only was he willing to sacrifice his life for us, he was willing to forgive us.

O God, Most High,

you are slow to anger and rich in compassion.

Keep the memory of your mercy alive in us;

calm our anger and take away all our resentments. 

Create in us a new heart,

formed in the image of your Son,

a heart strong enough to bear every wound

and gentle enough to forgive every offense,

so that the world may see

how your people love one another.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,

your Son, who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever.

AMEN

How Much Do We Notice as We Go Through a Day

How much do we notice as we go through a day?

Lisa Beamer on Good Morning America - If you remember, she's the wife of Todd Beamer who said 'Let's Roll!' and helped take down the plane over Pennsylvania that was heading for Washington, DC back on 9/11. She said it's the little things that she misses most about Todd, such as hearing the garage door open as he came home, and her children running to meet him.

Lisa recalled this story: "I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago whose husband died suddenly of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared some of her insight with a classroom of students. As the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom windows and the class was nearly over, she moved a few things aside on the edge of her desk and sat down there. With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused and said, 'Class is over, I would like to share with all of you, a thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is very important. Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves. None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment. Perhaps this is God's way of telling us that we must make the most out of every single day.

Her eyes, beginning to water, she went on, 'So I would like you all to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn't have to be something you see, it could be a scent, perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of someone's house, or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the morning light catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently to the ground. Please look for these things, and cherish them. For, although it may sound trite to some, these things are the "stuff" of life. The little things we are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often take for granted.

The class was completely quiet. We all picked up our books and filed out of the room silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from school than I had that whole semester. Every once in a while, I think of that teacher and remember what an impression she made on all of us, and I appreciate all of those things that sometimes we all overlook.

Take notice of something special you see today. Go barefoot. Or walk on the beach at sunset. Stop off on the way home tonight to get a double dip ice cream cone. For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn't do. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

HAVE A GREAT DAY! GOD Bless you every day of your life. The nicest place to be is in someone's thoughts. The safest place to be is in someone's prayers, And the very best place to be is....In the hands of God.

USCCB Prayer for Labor Day

As the sun rises to bring in the new day:

• We remember those who descend into the earth, their work begins in darkness, pulling from the earth, the resources we steward.
• We remember those who work inside a building away from the light and brightness of the day.
• We remember those who work outside in the harsh elements of our world, the bitter cold and sweltering heat of extremes.
• We remember those who do not have a job to go to, who are struggling to meet the needs of their daily living expenses, for whom the day becomes long and arduous.

As the sun sets to bring in the evening of rest:

• We remember those who work in the night.
• We remember those who are trying to recover from their labor and toils of the day.
• We remember those who participate in unsafe and dangerous work.
• We pray for a renewed sense of dignity in their lives and in their work.

God, in your goodness, 

you have made a home for the worker. 

Make a place in our hearts for compassion to the men and women 

who labor tirelessly for basic necessities. 

Ensure a place for the men and women who are struggling to find work.

Grant us your wisdom to greet and care 

for those who are unable to work due to illness 

or circumstances that prevent their participation.

Be with the children who are not able to run and play, 

but instead must put in a hard day’s work 

to help their family afford to eat, to live.

Be with us all, Christ Jesus, as we go about the busyness of our work.

Hold us accountable not only for our actions, 

but most importantly to each of our neighbors.

May we continue to work together to bring about your reign! 

We ask this in your holy name, through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Many people find confrontation and conflict difficult to handle. So, we should pay close attention to today’s readings because they all focus on our responsibility to confront people who have sinned against us and who have sinned against other people. Not only are we supposed to confront them, we are supposed to win them over. God, speaking through Ezekiel in today’s first reading (Ez 33: 7 – 9) makes the point clearly, if “you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, the wicked shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death.” However, “if you warn the wicked, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself.” Ezekiel and all the prophets took God at his word and spent their lives admonishing the Children of Israel for their wicked ways. This made the prophets immensely unpopular particularly with people in power and they suffered deadly hostility.

The Eighteenth Chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel is sometimes called “The ecclesial discourse” or Dissertation on the Church. It presents us with a Christian code of ethical practice. The section we hear today, verses 15 – 20, outlines a grievance process we should follow when someone does something wrong. The object of this process is not to abuse, ridicule or humiliate our sisters and brothers in faith. Rather, the purpose is to bring them back into God’s loving community. In the Jerusalem Bible translation St. Matthew tells us “If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, between your two selves.” If that does not work, “take one or two others along with you.” And, if that does not work, take the issue “to the community” and let the community decide how to handle the situation.

The challenge in following this process is doing it in the right spirit. St. Paul tells us in Romans 13:10, that “love is the fulfillment of the law.” And in Colossians 3: 12 – 15 he says, “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body.”

Father in heaven,

The perfection of justice is found in your love

And all mankind is in need of your law.

Help us to find this love in each other

That justice may be attained

Through obedience to your law.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

My Child, You're Not Alone

At times like these, it’s hard to find the right words to say

And I know that words alone won’t take the pain away
But, I know a man who sits high and looks low
And He is saying, “My child, you’re not alone.”

He is saying, “I love you and I am concerned about you
And all the pain and hurt that you are going through,”
He is saying, “Lean on me. I will be your comfort through this time
And although it’s dark now, the sun again will shine.

Even though it’s hard to see through tears that you now cry,
Just know that there will come a day when your tears He will dry
And though words alone won’t ease the pain that you now feel,
Just know that in time, your heart, He will heal.

I pray that God will give you peace and strength in your heart
As He holds you in his arms, and from you, He won’t depart
May you always be encouraged, may you ever hold on
And remember, “My child, you’re not alone.”

~ By Johnny V Chandler

The Size of Our Hearts

God puts us into this world with huge hearts. The human heart in itself, when not closed off by fear, wound, and paranoia, is the antithesis of pettiness. There’s nothing small about the human heart.

The early Church Fathers taught that each of us has two hearts, two souls.

In each person, they affirmed, there is a small, petty heart, a pusilla anima. This is the heart that we operate out of when we are not at our best. This is the heart within which we feel our wounds, are chronically irritated and angry, the heart within which we feel the unfairness of life, the heart within which we sense others as a threat, the heart within which we feel envy and bitterness, and the heart within which greed, lust, and selfishness break through.

But the Church Fathers taught that inside of each of us there was also another heart, a magna anima, a huge, deep, big, generous, and noble heart. This is the heart within which we feel empathy and compassion, where we are enflamed with noble ideals. This is the heart where we inchoately feel God’s presence in faith and hope and are able to move out to others in charity and forgiveness. Inside each of us, sadly often buried under suffocating wounds that keep if far from the surface, lies the heart of a saint, bursting to get out.

John of the Cross says the most effective way to move towards healing is not by focusing on the moral and spiritual areas within which we particularly struggle.

For him, we heal and grow and eventually “cauterize” our faults by fanning the flames of what is already virtuous, best, inside us. As we fan our virtues to full flame, those fires eventually burn out our selfishness and our wounds.

Our virtues, when fanned to full-flame, leave no room inside us for pettiness and small-heartedness.

Fanning what’s highest in us eventually moves us more and more towards living out of our big hearts rather than petty hearts.

~ Ron Rolheiser, OMI