Gospel, Homily and Coffee

One of the most difficult choices we can make, is the choice to continue; whether it be a journey, a relationship, a faith.  Do we go on? What can motivate us to continue is that we want the goal, the prize, the end. Once again we in the United States are confronted with the revelation of failures of an institution. The revelations of some men who chose poorly. Giving so much harm to others. Giving so much shame. Some question now their faith and whether to continue as Catholics. What is the goal of our Christian Catholic faith? It is salvation. Salvation as the freedom to be true to who we are as persons, as community, as a species. Salvation as coming home to who we are to our innermost being. Salvation is God’s will for us.   The Father so loves us that he sent the beloved son so that we can be free.  So that we can know how incredibly we are loved by the Father, and to know that this love empowers us to choose to go on. ...

There is an old phrase, it’s kind of a Christian-Catholic guilt phrase… “Do you want to make baby Jesus cry!” Well, I wonder if St. Paul is doing a bit of the same in our 2nd Reading?  Applying a little guilt? “Do you want to make the Holy Spirit cry? Whatever he is doing, he is actually making a deep theological statement on our reality, and the reality of salvation, and if we are living that salvation. God is three and yet one.  This is our dogma and the mystery of the Holy Trinity.   What unifies God as three and one is that Holy Spirit of Love.   Divine Love unifies, it unites, it binds yet without loss of personhood. Divine love see and brings forth all that is good within the person of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and shares it with the others. We are created in the image of this Love. We are created therefore to live in this divine love. We receive this love from the Father, through the Son in the Holy Spirit.  We call it...

Repent! I have preached on that word and idea before, and it is not necessarily all that scary, it simply means “to change direction.” Well on second thought, maybe that is scary. To change direction, whether it is how we think or act, can be scary:  Even when the change is for our better. Salvation in Christ is the freedom to change; clearly for the better, and not just for us, but for all. Maybe one of the things that scares us the most is that we think we must make a wholescale, all inclusive, dramatic change! Let’s face it, that is intimidating.   I think of people who want to get all healthy, so they totally dive into it. Exercise and to the gym, total change of eating habit, give up foods, drinks, et al And it becomes overwhelming and they give up. The digestion is all messed up because they only eat cabbage soup. Blah blah. I have met people too who have want to make a great Spiritual change! They have come to a realization and wan...