tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63741888757856948312024-02-20T02:07:13.093-06:00Ordinary TimeSo I am in ORDINARY TIME. Waiting, quietly anticipating my Easter
which is the fullness of our
faith. - Father Ev HemannBrian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.comBlogger542125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-90041047357024995302018-07-16T10:00:00.000-05:002018-07-16T10:00:50.725-05:00Monday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The readings today are a powerful reminder that as Christians we cannot be people who sit on the fence. We have to throw all our chips on the table. There are too many out there who want to believe that all they have to do is claim the title, "I am a Christian," without claiming the cross that comes with it. The Psalm itself is clear in its meaning and expectation from God:<br />
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“Why do you recite my statutes,<br />
and profess my covenant with your mouth,<br />
Though you hate discipline<br />
and cast my words behind you?”<br />
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We have to be a people different than those who do not know Christ. He reminds us in His teachings in the Gospel today that we are expected to choose Christ first and foremost. It means I have to pick up my cross and do as he did. Being Christian is not just a statement. It is not just a one-time confession and a mountaintop experience. It is a constant state of conversion in which we move closer to God, become more like His Son, and through the grace of the Sacraments be transformed into little Christs. <br />
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What should that look like? Justice. The Prophet said:<br />
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Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;<br />
cease doing evil; learn to do good.<br />
Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,<br />
hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.<br />
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One would think we had learned our lesson by now. We still are learning. Slowly. That's what it takes to be a Saint though. I have to become a worker for justice. One who defends those without a voice. One who finds what is wrong, and fixes it. A person who looks for those who have none, and tries to help them. Being Catholic isn't just a Sunday thing, it's a life thing. It means continually learning to love as Jesus loved. Loving every single person, and trying to make the world more like the Kingdom we pray to come every day at Mass. <br />
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A reflection on the <a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/071618.cfm">Readings</a> for Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time<br />
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Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-80044568563618792542018-07-08T15:14:00.002-05:002018-07-08T15:14:24.293-05:00Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Change is hard for people. They don't like it when things change. So many times I have heard someone declare "That's it! I'm going to church somewhere else." Or the even more dramatic "I'm not going to come here till he is gone!" That second one is often an excuse never to go there again. Even when that person is gone, they don't come back. The question is: Why do we go to Church? <br />
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We don't go to Mass for ourselves. That's a very unpopular statement. It isn't about getting something out of it, but about giving something back. We go to Mass to worship Jesus Christ. It is for Him and what He has done, is doing, and will do in the future, that we gather together and sing His praises. So all of those statements:<br />
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"I don't like the music."<br />
"The Pastor isn't nice."<br />
"I can't understand that guy when he speaks."<br />
"I just don't feel good when I am there."<br />
"They changed the way we do this, and I think I'm leaving."<br />
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They all start with the wrong thing. These statements all begin with self, I. They forget that it's not about me. It's about Him. All of those things can be annoying to ourselves. Sure, it's nice to have someone you understand and get along with in charge. It's nice to get a recharge of our spiritual cup, which happens more often than not. It is beautiful when the music is well performed and uplifting. All of those things are good things, but they are not what it's about.<br />
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Is God's grace enough? Saint Paul desired to rid himself of some nagging issue that he had with his body. Some think maybe his eyesight was going or he was in chronic pain. Regardless of what it was, it stayed there and annoyed him. Those thorns in our Church homes? What if they are there to sanctify us? "Your grace is enough for me." Why are you there? Jesus? Or yourself? Is Jesus not enough?<br />
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The key to all of this is found in today's Psalm reading. Humility. Being able to not make it about you, and to remind yourself that God is in charge. This community is our Parish home. It is where he wants us. There is no Church shopping in Catholicism. You don't look for someone who agrees with you or with different beliefs, because we have one set of beliefs and One Church. Are we humble enough to get out of the way and say: "This is my home, these are my spiritual family"? Lord give us all a spirit of humility, which we might be able to look at the world the way you do.<br />
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Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-46899935463613024682018-07-06T05:22:00.005-05:002018-07-06T05:26:30.778-05:00Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year 2. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It is interesting to me that the readings for today are about famine and feasts. For the last five days, I have consumed no food whatsoever. Instead, I have been taking the money that I would have spent to buy food for me and putting it to the side. When this week is over, I will send that money to a diocese in Africa where the children are starving and in great need.<br />
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I've learned a lot about myself and my relationship with food. I think it's an American thing. I was indeed reminded of that when Father Rogatus mentioned the massive serving sizes at the restaurant where some people took him for dinner. At just one of our American style buffets, you'll find more food than many villages have for the entire population in a month. That should remind us that we are not only blessed, but we are using our wealth in a way that is both unsustainable and uncharitable.<br />
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Matthew in the Gospel is an example of this. To the Jewish people, he was the lowest of the low. He made his money by taking from his people and giving to Rome. They saw the tax collectors as horrible sinners, unreformable! To their astonishment, he was one of the first to convert and became one of the twelve. We have to keep in mind that even the outsider, maybe even more often the outsider, will often be the most important convert.<br />
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It reminds us that even though we aren't perfect, we are called to be Saints. That shouldn't leave us feeling hopeless, as if the Saints of the Church put us to shame, but hope-filled! We are called to do like Matthew and go forth and follow Christ, sitting down at the table with all of our brothers and sisters, sinners and Saints alike but not staying in our sin. Instead, we are called to lift ourselves up out of the muck of the world, reaching out for God's grace to become what he created us to be.<br />
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We can start in the smallest of ways. We often see fasting as just a "Lent thing." It should preferably be a part of our lives. That doesn't mean you have to do water fasting like mine. I would encourage you though to give up something, even if its just one coffee or one donut, and use the money there to feed some of our brothers and sisters who are less fortunate. That way all of us can be at the table, and not just those who were lucky enough to be born in an affluent country. It only takes a pebble to start an avalanche. One dollar doesn't mean much to us here, but for many, that's precisely what they need to get food for just one day.<br />
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A reflection on the readings for <a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/070618.cfm">July 6th, 2018, Friday of the Thirtenth Week in Ordinary Time</a>Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-14077566441758118772018-06-24T10:44:00.002-05:002018-06-24T10:48:13.448-05:00Take a stand! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I was in college, I worked as a computer lab assistant. It was my job to be there to make sure that anyone who needed to use a computer not only got the chance to do so but also to answer questions and make sure it was a peaceful experience for all. One day a young girl was with what seemed to be her boyfriend using one of the terminals at the door. He was abusive with his words.<br />
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"You're so stupid."<br />
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"I'm trying," she said.<br />
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"I've shown you a hundred times, you are just too dumb to do it, and I'm tired of it."<br />
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"I said I was sorry."<br />
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She was on the verge of tears, and he kept getting louder and more abusive. After a few minutes, I had had enough. The sad part was it took me a few minutes. I should have come to her defense at the start of it. Instead, I had to work up the courage to stand up and confront this guy. The moment he saw me moving towards them he began to talk to the room.<br />
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"We are students in the psychology department. This has been an experiment to see how people would react to someone being abusive to a female in public." They went on to have us fill out questionnaires and such for their project. <br />
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While this was just an experiment, it was a moment in which I learned something about myself and others. No one came to her defense. It took time before even me, a 6'5", 300 lb guy to stand up and do something about it. I've always wished that I could go back and stand up for her, stand up for all the people in this world who have no voice.<br />
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On this the feast day of the nativity of Saint John the Baptist we are reminded that it is not too late to stand up for our faith. He stood up to the king, Herod, and spoke the truth even to the expense of his own life. Now, sure, you and I are probably not going to be martyrs. It is very rare these days in the country we live in to be asked to die for our faith. <br />
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So what then can we do? We can die to ourselves. Die to that person who is inside you wanting to remain in the comfort of your room. Suppress that human tendency not to want to get involved and instead let Jesus work through us to make a change in this world, here and now. Die to self, let God send His grace to others in you. That's what the dismissal at Mass is all about. "Go forth and glorify the Lord with your lives." To that, we respond: "Thanks be to God." That's not us saying "Thank God this is finally over." It is rather us acknowledging that God has come to reside in us as Temples of the Holy Spirit and has given us the chance to be co-workers in the vineyard.<br />
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Are you ready to die to your wants and needs? That for least among us; the widow, the orphan, the unborn, the immigrant, the homeless; we may bring the love and protection that God has to offer? Speak for those who have no voice, speak with the voice of the Lord. Our brothers and sisters are out in the world, and we have the opportunity to find them and bring them to the dinner table with us. Are you standing up? Or stay in your comfort zone?<br />
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A reflection on the readings for the <a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/062418-day-mass.cfm">Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist</a>.Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-82435037314244418682018-06-04T12:06:00.001-05:002018-06-04T12:06:34.128-05:00God is mercy, God is love... but God is also Justice. I was going to save the following homily for a future date. The more I tried to write the more it felt as if I were making a sermon out of it, instead of giving the message God was trying to speak to me in the readings. So here it is. <br />
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My grandfather Jim had this beautiful farm in the mountains. When he first got the land, it was nothing but weeds, rocks, and briars. Over the years he slowly tamed that land. There were big piles of stones in the forest that my brother and I used to climb on. All of those rocks he had moved by hand out of the fields to prepare them. It was such a beautiful place too. Acres of manicured grass in the middle of the forests of Virginia. An apple orchard, a grape arbor, a garden filled with vegetables, not to mention all the animals. He would take us for a tour every time we came by. Letting us hold the baby chickens, ducks, geese, and doves. There was even this spectacular overlook that he had made with a firepit and some chairs. You could sit and watch the sunset over the lake hundreds of feet below. It was a beautiful place, a peaceful place. <br />
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A few years ago my grandfather passed away, and my grandmother was placed in a home. The executor of the estate sold the land to someone outside of the family, and things began to change. We were no longer allowed to visit. It wasn’t in the family anymore. I could see it from my dad's house, less than a mile from his back porch. There was a real sense of loss. A sense of sadness that it was no longer ours. It was now someone else’s. I watched as other people walked those paths and climbed those rocks. There was a pain in my heart that I can’t really describe in words. Not jealousy. Just longing. I think that’s how the people must have felt in hearing this parable from Jesus. Fear that they might go through something like that. That they might long for something, they could never touch again. <br />
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This parable could bring that same fear out in us, and maybe it should. We too are now responsible for the vineyard of the Lord. Just like my grandfather worked long, hard hours clearing the land to make it a beautiful place; we are supposed to be using the gifts we have been given to produce fruit. Each of us is a unique person with our own set of talents. We are supposed to use them to make this world a better place, to show God’s love for everyone in it. How many times have we, like the people in the parable, been sent someone made in the image of Christ and treated them poorly?<br />
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Sure, we haven’t killed anyone. We didn’t beat them or throw them out. But what about with our words? Have we ever beaten someone verbally? Or killing their good name with slander? Have we ever rejected someone who has asked for help? Earlier we also said we can do wrong with our thoughts too. Have we thought poorly of someone? Been jealous or angry? Annoyed that someone doesn’t do things the way we want or has some habit that just gets under our skin? I know at times I am guilty of all these things. That parable doesn’t leave much hope. It seems hard. <br />
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How are we to make sense of it? If God is mercy and love, how can he take away the vineyard? He is mercy. He is love, indeed. So much so that here in a few minutes we are going to celebrate the gift that makes it possible for people so unworthy to stay working in the vineyard. God has indeed sent His Son to us time and time again, in the Holy Eucharist. Even though we continue to do exactly what they were guilty of, He gives us another chance. It’s as if he is saying “I am sending my son, surely they will treat him better this time.” As the priest elevates the precious consecrated host in a few moments, realize that this right here is God saying to you “I want to see your fruit.” <br />
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Again I say, God is mercy. God is love. But God is also justice. Ronda Chervin once said “If you want to see the infinite love and mercy of God, look at Heaven. If you want to see His Justice, look at Hell.” Now, in this life, at this moment is the time to start producing a harvest. <br />
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/060418.cfm">Monday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/2peter/1:2" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px; color: #008061; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 1.2px; line-height: normal; margin: 1px 0px 0px; outline: none; padding: 1px 0px; text-transform: uppercase;">2 PT 1:2-7</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-transform: capitalize;">, </span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/psalms/91:1" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px; color: #008061; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 1.2px; line-height: normal; margin: 1px 0px 0px; outline: none; padding: 1px 0px; text-transform: uppercase;">PS 91:1-2, 14-15B, 15C-16</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-transform: capitalize;">, </span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/mark/12:1" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px; color: #008061; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; letter-spacing: 1.2px; line-height: normal; margin: 1px 0px 0px; outline: none; padding: 1px 0px; text-transform: uppercase;">MK 12:1-12</a></div>
Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-23323320377258046482018-06-03T09:45:00.000-05:002018-06-03T09:45:16.617-05:00Happy Corpus Christi! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I went on a four-day men's weekend a few years ago. It was a compelling experience. During that weekend I began to realize just how much my wife meant to me. At the end of the weekend, they had a closing ceremony. She was there. One of the men walked up to me after saying "I knew that was your wife, you never took your eyes off of her." He's right. There was a longing there, a love that wasn't just affection, but a realization that she was indeed my better half. I just wanted to speak to her, spend time with her, and even hold her again. It wasn't just physical; it was a deep spiritual connection that went beyond what we see and into a deeper reality.<br />
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In our modern world marriage is seen as something to do with feelings. You see men and women getting divorces with the excuse of "I didn't feel the same anymore. I don't love him/her." We've lost the notion of just what the word covenant is. Instead, we see it as a simple contract. A covenant is not a contract. In a contract, people exchange one thing for another. You mow my yard, and I give you cash. I install a light fixture for you and you clean my garage. That's a contract. Marriage is not a contract, though we have civil ones that protect people from abuse. Marriage is a covenant.<br />
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In a covenant, people exchange each other. I give you all of me, and you give me all of you. It's all in. 100%. It's not a 50/50 negotiation that ends with the other getting half of all you own. It's a real sharing of yourself with someone else. Jesus in today's readings reminds us that we are in a covenant with God. "I will be your God, and you will be my people." (Exodus 6:7). That was His promise of a Covenant to the people of Israel. Jesus came and gave us a New Covenant, one whose sign is the Eucharist. Thinking about that should leave us awestruck. God is offering you all of Himself, down to even the last drop of blood. So much so that you can partake of His divine life and live forever! That should blow our minds!<br />
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There is more though! I will be your God, and you will be my people. A covenant is not one-sided. God did indeed do all of the work on the cross. However, communion demands a response. St. Paul says in one of his letters: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? ". (1 Corinthians 10:16) Then again he says "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord." (1 Corinthians 11:27). A more modern translation might read: "The Eucharist is indeed the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, if you take it in grave sin you could go to hell." <br />
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No one can earn their way to heaven. Faith though is a covenant in which He is our God, and we are His people. That means we act a certain way, walk the walk and talk the talk. People of a covenant look different. A married man should act like a married man. He shouldn't be off flirting with other women. People should know by his very actions, words, and deeds that he is married. That moment when the minister says to you "The body and blood of Christ," you are being reminded of this reality. "You are His people, are you acting like it?" Can you honestly say Amen to that? <br />
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On this Feast of Corpus Christi, the Church reminds us to take time and make sure that we realize what we are doing at the table of the Lord and to rectify those things in our lives that are drifting away. That way at the end of our lives we can say with honesty at the foot of the throne of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ: "All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do." (Exodus 24:7)<br />
<br />Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-59084168887220140342018-02-24T17:50:00.003-06:002018-02-24T17:50:43.905-06:00Into the Desert<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I remember an episode of iCarly in which one of the young protagonists wants to meet the "fattest priest alive." When they finally arrange for her to meet him before he can even come on screen, you hear the floor give way, and he presumably falls. No one ever actually gets to see this record-setting priest. Without a laugh track, I would imagine we probably wouldn't even laugh at the poor man falling through the floor. The funny thing is: that episode always makes me very introspective about myself.<br />
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Several years ago I wrote a blog about the number of calories I must consume to gain a pound of weight. It reminded me that at my highest weight, I had wasted at least enough food to feed a child in a starving country for over a year. That is not counting the amount of weight I had lost and regained throughout those years of yo-yo dieting. The current numbers say that more than half the people in the western world are obese. If my math is correct, that means that there is enough excess fat in the United States alone to feed 9000 children for a year. <br />
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Abba John the short once said: "If a king wants to take a city whose citizens are hostile, he first captures the food and water of the inhabitants of the city, and when they are starving subdues them. So it is with gluttony. If a man is earnest in fasting and hunger, the enemies who trouble his soul will grow weak." During class, a Priest once told us that he had an addictive personality. I would describe mine the same way. Throughout my life, I replace one addiction with another. From computer games to photography. Each thing taken up for a time and then left behind.<br />
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The one thing that has always held my attention and has always been less of an addiction and more of a solution is God and his Word. When I immerse myself in the Scriptures, I find fulfillment to all those desires that my body tries to make me think I have. I find peace of mind and soul. I am not free of my gluttonous desires. I see inside those words, inside the Church that God has established for us, answers to how to be free. <br />
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"Wouldn't it be great if we had no fat deacons?" I heard someone say this at one point. At first, I was offended! I, after all, have been overweight my entire adult life. What does it portray to us though? It reveals to us men of prayer and fasting. If all Catholics around the world were to devote actual time to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we would change the world! <br />
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It has to begin with me. I know that. There is an irony to a man as large as myself encouraging others to pray and fast. I have tried this Lent to fast in many different ways. From water fasting to eating only one meal a day. Some days have been more comfortable, some have been harder than anything I have imagined. Saint Anthony of the Desert reminds us that we must go to the desert to find the place of discipline in ourselves. The desert is the place that Hosea tells us God wants to take us to as well. "Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her." (Hosea 2:14 RSV-CE)<br />
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The desert is the place where Israel first encountered God. It was their first intimate embrace, where the wedding covenant began, which Christ later fulfilled on the cross of Calvary. He is our God, and we are His People. That to me is what the right key is to learn to discipline ourselves. It is returning to the place where we first met God, to those situations in my life where I encountered and relied on Him and Him alone. The discipline of fasting allows me to remind my body that I don't need all of these things that my concupiscence tries causes me to desire. Then I can truly listen for that still small voice crying out to me in the night. <br />
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I am slowly learning to remove those things that get in my way of that desert experience. I find some of the 'pruning' to be quite painful. I got rid of my smartphone just recently after months of feeling a tug to do so. It has not been pleasant. I didn't even realize how much I was attached to this silly little cellular device. What I have found though is a freedom I did not expect. Will I go back to a smart device after Lent? I am still unsure. I am leaning towards no. What I do know is that whatever I do, I will do it to grow closer to God. <br />
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Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-87122387078177319442018-02-19T20:15:00.002-06:002018-02-19T20:43:01.477-06:00The sheep or the goats? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 17px; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the first reading for today, we see Moses receiving the Decalogue from God. These are the ten commandments. There are very few people that are not aware of the ten commandments. Even those who can honestly claim they are, have a natural understanding that things like murder, stealing, and cheating are inherently wrong. These are the bare minimum of what it takes to live together in harmony with one another and to show our love for God. Like any person trying to excel in their field though, the bare minimum isn't what we should be aiming for, is it?
Jesus shows us in this parable in Matthew that we are to be aiming for love. He has expounded before that it isn't just not murdering, but not even hating. That if I entertain lustful thoughts I am as guilty of adultery as I would be where I actually to go out and do so. Our goal is to see every single person as an opportunity to encounter the image of God. The naked, the hungry, the thirsty, and those in prison. This list doesn't just mean those who are physically exposed, but also those who are spiritually vulnerable. Those who hunger for Christ in the Eucharist and do not know He is even there. Not just those physically incarcerated for crimes but those still chained in the shackles of sin.
God calls us to do so much more than the minimum. Lent is a time to remind ourselves of this truth. It's an opportunity to find those who need spiritual and physical nourishment. A chance to extend the invitation to the most nourishing food available, the Eucharist. Both to those who have not received the waters of Baptism, those who are of another faith, and even those who have fallen away from the Catholic Church. If they are hungry, by all means, feed them! Clothe them! Give them drink! Then lead them to the sacred waters pouring from the throne of Jesus Christ.
Lent is a time to remind ourselves that the bar is never the minimum. It is always higher than we can achieve alone. When we join ourselves to Him, to the Church that is His Body, then we can receive the Sacramental graces necessary to make a difference in this world. We are to seek out ways to apply the Gospel in love and kindness, leaving the Justice to the King Himself. That doesn't mean forgetting that sin exists. We should be all too aware of the reality of sin and of the spiritual battle we are fighting for our souls. What it does mean though, is reaching out as the hands and feet of Christ with mercy to those who are hurting just as much as we are.
It has been popular in the last few decades to make fun of people for being "sheep." That's because sheep follow their shepherd. They listen and know His voice. Goats can be ornery and cantankerous. They do what they want, and they eat pretty much anything (even things that are bad for them.) Being one of the sheep who follows the Shepherd doesn't mean blind obedience, but it does mean listening to God's still small voice to help guide us through all the spiritual minefields we face in this life. Silence. How can we hear Him speak to us and tell us which side to stand on if we are surrounded by noise from screens, devices, and speakers? Take some time this Lent to silence the noise of the world and listen carefully for the Lord himself.
A reflection on the readings for Monday of the First Week of Lent. </span></span></div>
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Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-53371823436452901292018-02-18T20:40:00.002-06:002018-02-18T20:43:20.327-06:00Downgrading to Upgrade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today was the First Sunday of Lent. The readings speak of the familiar theme of Jesus going into the desert before beginning his public ministry. In the desert, he fasted for forty days. During that time Satan tempted him in ways that would have alleviated all of that suffering. Satan even used scripture to try and get Jesus to fall into the trap. Jesus always responded by using the rest of Scripture to show that God's will was not in align with Satans at all. Satans was selfish; God's was love. <br />
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As we journey into the desert this Lent we have to look and see what is between God and us. Jesus consistently took time to go off alone in the silence to meet with God, to commune with Father. In this world of screens and information, it's hard to find a moment's silence. The internet is by far my worst crutch. I have been using a computer on a daily basis since I was around eight years old. When it comes to the willpower of just not doing it? I fail miserably. <br />
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So what did I do this year for Lent? The same thing I did last year. I significantly reduced my use of Social Media to spend that time instead with Jesus in prayer and meditation. I realized last year though that my Smart Phone was a hindrance. Instead of lowering my computer time I replaced it with blogs, bulletin boards, and silly games. I took a drastic step. I got rid of my smartphone. I now carry an LG B470 flip phone. <br />
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It doesn't do apps. It barely will search the internet. Texting is a pain. There are so many things wrong with this phone that I could complain forever. My first trip to town I realized that I couldn't check my calendar to see where I was supposed to be. My habit of checking the Bank to see how much money we have before shopping is now something I have to remember before leaving the house. Responding to email now has to wait until the evening or morning when I use my computer.<br />
Why then am I feeling relief? I have tethered myself to Christ. I am no longer checking my phone every time it buzzes. In a meeting, I have no need to look something up, either I remember it, or I don't. I am not worried about getting likes or making sure to take a picture of my food before I consume it. I have finished three books in just a few days and have gotten back on track for the time being with my prayer life. This small change has made me wonder if I'll ever go back to being a smartphone user again.<br />
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The one thing that I have found myself blessed to be able to say is: "No I haven't heard about that!" In a world where all of the information is at your fingertips, how much news did I not already hear? How many conversations did I miss because I had already heard all about it or seen that meme ages ago? My friend said to me in an email that I seem to care when someone is talking to me. I don't want that go away. So this is my Lent, my journey into the desert with Jesus, a mission to begin to listen to God speak to me not only in the silence but in each person I encounter. <br />
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Technology is a powerful tool. I am far from a Luddite. I have even been called a technophile from time to time. I think enhanced reality devices are the future. The problem is we aren't enhancing our reality with smartphones. Instead, we are replacing reality with images and false narratives. Yes, this Lent I am putting down the phone so that I can see the real you. The real Jesus in you! Hopefully, somewhere along the road, you will be able to see him in me.<br />
His servant and yours,<br />
Brian Mullins<br />
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February 18th, 2018<br />
First Sunday of Lent<br />
Lectionary: 23<br />
GN 9:8-15<br />
PS 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9<br />
1 PT 3:18-22<br />
MK 1:12-15Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-18393238646446875232018-02-08T06:07:00.003-06:002018-02-08T06:07:46.440-06:00An Ill Fitting Suit<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">In today's first reading we begin to see the fall of the Kingdom of Israel from grace. Solomon started taxing the people tremendously and working them harder and harder to keep up with his lavish lifestyle. His Harem was so enormous that it numbered in the thousands. Those women were not just children of Israel but Gentiles as well. The Israelites had a long-standing rule not to marry or associate with people outside of their own precisely because it often led to concessions in the faith. Solomon began to make those small changes until eventually, he was building altars for foreign gods for his wives to worship their way. </span><br />
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The kingdom fell, and that eventually led to the captivity in Babylon. A divided Israel was unable to defend itself. The people were taken once again as slaves to a foreign kingdom. When King Cyrus let the Israelites go back to their homeland and begin rebuilding Jerusalem, they did not forget the past. Those people who were not of Israel were taboo. Even those Israelites who decided they liked it in Babylon and did not return to Jerusalem were outcasts. Them. The other. Out of fear for another captivity and an attempt to remain in a pure relationship with their God, they became even more xenophobic. </span></span></span><br />
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That makes the scene in today's Gospel that much more pronounced. Jesus reminds her that he has come to save the Israelites, to offer them the Kingdom first and all that comes with it. Her faith though moves him to compassion. He extends his power, not with some mystical and magical touch, but through time and space to heal the daughter wherever she may be. Jesus shows us that the Kingdom will include all people. The walls of hatred and division will be thrown down. Racial heritage will no longer matter. All people will have the opportunity to be invited to the wedding, and all can receive the healing that Christ comes to offer. </span></span></span><br />
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It's not as simple as that though. In the parable of the wedding feast, Christ reminds us that we must begin by getting dressed for the wedding. What kind of garment should we be looking to find? I was just trying on the suit from our wedding 11 years ago. It's huge! It doesn't fit well. I'd have to have it tailored and drawn in if it's even possible. The suit we need for the wedding though is one that conforms to the image of Christ. It's Christ himself. We have to be washed by the blood of the lamb and begin to try and live our lives in emulation of Him. </span></span></span><br />
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How can we do that in this world of temptations and trials? Through the Sacraments that He established to give us the grace necessary to live a life of virtue. That is the life God created us to live. That is the garment we need to be wearing! The more we grow in relationship to Christ, the more we receive Him in the Sacraments, the more we become like him. Then we can safely enter that feast at the end of our lives where He will say, well done my good and faithful servant.
A reflection on the readings for Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time. February 8th, 2018.
Lectionary: 332
1 KGS 11:4-13
PS 106:3-4, 35-36, 37 AND 40
MK 7:24-30</span></span>
</span>Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-60475425220007580952018-02-07T11:49:00.004-06:002018-02-07T11:49:32.498-06:00Why do we do these things? <div class="_2cuy _3dgx" data-block="true" data-editor="fielt" data-offset-key="c392i-0-0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2129; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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<span data-offset-key="c392i-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I see many people criticize the Church. They claim that all of the rules are 'manmade' and that none of this outward stuff can make a difference. That's not what Jesus had to say about the matter. Jesus instructed the people about the Scribes and Pharisees, saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach, but they do not practice." (Matthew 23:2-3 NAB) He then went on to establish Peter his 'Prime Minister' to guide his Church until the day when he returns. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="eer9h-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">How then are we to take this reading from the Gospel today in which Jesus says: "Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person, but the things that come out from within are what defile." (Mark 7:14-15 NAB) If nothing that enters me from the outside can defile me, then nothing from outside can make me Holy either. What Jesus came to destroy was not religion itself, but the hollow practice of it that does not involve an internal change. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="38b3g-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">The Pharisees knew what to do, and they did the external things, but their hearts never changed. They made up all these rules that were hard to follow, and they had the authority to do so and then didn't live up to them in their own lives. That's why Jesus called them "whitewashed tombs." In public, they gave the appearance of men who had been reformed by the love of God, but internally they were still the same hateful men they had always been. Often using the law itself to avoid doing the good they knew to do. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="2gns6-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">How then should we live our lives? Solomon was the wisest of all men. His kingdom was the most prosperous kingdom in the Israelite history, rivaling even that of his father, David. It was when Solomon began to pull his heart away from God toward other things that it all started to fall apart. Civil war broke out and the kingdom fell apart. Our own lives will do the same. As long as we put God first, everything will be as it should be. When we allow anything to get in the place that God should be, our soul becomes a battleground. It's not a battle we can win on our own. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="cfvu7-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">That's why Jesus gave us the Sacraments. That is why God gave us a Church. A place of refuge in this war where we can gain the strength and grace we need to continue fighting. Then he gave us Sacramental signs to use in our daily lives. Sacred Scripture, the sign of the cross, holy water, the rosary, and scapulars to name a few. These, however, are not magic amulets or incantations. When we use them, we must also have a change of heart, a metanoia. That's what Confession is all about. That is also what the season of Lent reminds us to do. Are you thinking about that yet? How can you change the inside so that when we do these external signs and symbols, when we receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, we can get out of the way and let Him change us? </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="dk63d-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">A reflection on the readings for Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 331</span></div>
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<a class="_42a-" data-hover="tooltip" data-offset-key="1u3si-0-0" data-tooltip-alignh="center" data-tooltip-content="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/1kings/10:1" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usccb.org%2Fbible%2Freadings%2Fbible%2F1kings%2F10%3A1&h=ATOzKFmGYlCa3-Eq_upN7PpSu4YhLkqKJT570pCJKiAzMol3m12JvfLsAqFFl-oijiKWWgPA_v-Jzj2aCRN3MFS_KFS_VxjsfW9p6x7OJz9G-M0HKccARSEyZAgBcpOMXPzsR_Bzl7s" rel="nofollow noopener" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank"><span data-offset-key="1u3si-0-0" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">1 KGS 10:1-10</span></a><span data-offset-key="1u3si-1-0" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">
</span><a class="_42a-" data-hover="tooltip" data-offset-key="1u3si-2-0" data-tooltip-alignh="center" data-tooltip-content="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/psalms/37:5" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usccb.org%2Fbible%2Freadings%2Fbible%2Fpsalms%2F37%3A5&h=ATOzKFmGYlCa3-Eq_upN7PpSu4YhLkqKJT570pCJKiAzMol3m12JvfLsAqFFl-oijiKWWgPA_v-Jzj2aCRN3MFS_KFS_VxjsfW9p6x7OJz9G-M0HKccARSEyZAgBcpOMXPzsR_Bzl7s" id="js_235" rel="nofollow noopener" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank"><span data-offset-key="1u3si-2-0" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">PS 37:5-6, 30-31, 39-40</span></a><span data-offset-key="1u3si-3-0" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">
</span><a class="_42a-" data-hover="tooltip" data-offset-key="1u3si-4-0" data-tooltip-alignh="center" data-tooltip-content="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/mark/7:14" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usccb.org%2Fbible%2Freadings%2Fbible%2Fmark%2F7%3A14&h=ATOzKFmGYlCa3-Eq_upN7PpSu4YhLkqKJT570pCJKiAzMol3m12JvfLsAqFFl-oijiKWWgPA_v-Jzj2aCRN3MFS_KFS_VxjsfW9p6x7OJz9G-M0HKccARSEyZAgBcpOMXPzsR_Bzl7s" rel="nofollow noopener" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank"><span data-offset-key="1u3si-4-0" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">MK 7:14-23</span></a></div>
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Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-28698353329378688382018-01-14T19:36:00.002-06:002018-01-14T19:36:26.471-06:00Caging the Beast. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our society has done a fantastic job of convincing us that we are created to be a sinful and vice-filled people. "I'm a Christian, but I cuss a little." "He's a good person; he just does some drugs on the weekends." "No one is perfect." All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That's the truth. That is not who you are. You were not created to be a sinner; you were designed to be a Saint. Our concupiscence is a reality that we must learn to live with, but it's also something we must put in a cage. <br />
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There is an old Indian tale about a man who was watching two wolves fighting with his son. The father looked at the son and said: "There are two wolves at war inside you as well. The one that wishes for the good, and the one that wishes for evil." The son asked in fear "Which one will win?" The father replied, "The one you feed." <br />
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We all have that same war going on inside of us, but the truth that we must realize is that one voice is our authentic self and the other are doubts brought to us by those who wish to keep us from ever achieving it. The Scriptures today remind us of that calling from God to become Saints. We are the temple of God. We are created for virtue and not vices. Work to silence that voice, to cage those personal demons that keep making excuses. Then live a sacramental life. <br />
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I am far from perfect. I make mistakes, and yes, I often fail to silence those voices. That is why God has given us so many opportunities for grace in His Church. Take advantage of them as often as you can! A life of virtue is not a boring one as the secular world would have you believe! It is instead a life filled with the fullness of what it means to be alive, the fullness of what it means to be human. That is to be more like Christ, and much less like our flesh would convince us we are supposed to be. <br />
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This is a reflection on the readings for <a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/011418.cfm">Wednesday, January 14th, 2018</a>: The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. </div>
Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-26237966725538555832018-01-11T13:15:00.000-06:002018-01-11T13:15:03.705-06:00The Good Shepherd<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So many of us take the simple gift of a community for granted. In a world where it is encouraged and lauded to spend more time in virtual communication than in face to face interactions, it is tough for us to understand the leper in today's Gospel. This man was isolated from society. If any other person approached him, he was required to shout "Unclean, unclean." To be touched by another who was not also unclean was not to be expected, and was believed to make the other just as dirty (sinfully) as the leper himself. </div>
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Jesus on the other hand not only touches him but heals him of his disease. Then instructs him to tell no one but rather go to the established religious authorities and begin the slow process of reconciliation with the community. We can interpret many things from this. One might think that Jesus intended to remind us that we should go to the Church/Community to help integrate us more fully into the body of Christ after being absent. Then again maybe he was indicating that the process would only be complete when he was both physically and spiritually clean. Some would even say that Jesus did not want the people to know about his Messianic secret yet. </div>
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The one thing we know for sure from the reading of the Scriptures is that the man didn't listen to Jesus and his instructions. He instead made it easier for himself (the Leper) to be a part of the community, but at the same time, more difficult for Jesus to enter towns and complete His mission. We have been talking about the title of Christ, the Good Shepherd, and it's biblical meaning in Bible study today. How appropriate that both readings had to do with listening to God instead of treating him like an ATM. </div>
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The first reading shows the Israelites parading God's ark about like a talisman. They didn't ask God for help, nor for guidance. Instead, they merely went to get their magical amulet to make things better. The Leper didn't follow God's instructions and go to the temple to be purified. Instead, he chose to go on his way and hindered God Himself in the process. Are we letting God shepherd us? Or are we trying to shepherd God? Do we listen when God speaks to us through the Church? Through the Magisterium? Through the Scriptures and the Catechism? Or are we choosing what we will believe regardless of what God has revealed? Do we see God as a good luck charm only when we need it? Or is He indeed the Lord of our lives? When you use the gift of voice God has given you, are your words shouting unclean or pointing to Christ? </div>
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All things that are going through my mind this morning as I begin to do some work around the house. I'll leave you this morning with one final study question from our book to meditate on for today: </div>
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<span class="_4yxp" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">We often do not know when we wander off. If you take stock of your life, are there areas where you might suddenly realize you are lost and have unknowingly wandered away from the Good Shepherd? </span></div>
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<span class="_4yxp" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">A reflection on the Mass readings for </span><a data-lynx-mode="asynclazy" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usccb.org%2Fbible%2Freadings%2F011118.cfm&h=ATOZPFNdnixYexXR4v1uy0Z-n2fD1Prw7-MszVmCezx8SNQE9e6IPkdzNJ1yINe-00izcgdPbEL5cYJbF7Mmn2No9_FQ6NQuiAQir7qBOMhPSH61vFmGlPl4sGO3w2RMW1SM6ZWw" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span class="_4yxp" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">Thursday </span></a><span class="_4yxp" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">of the First Week in Ordinary time: January 11, 2018. </span><a data-lynx-mode="asynclazy" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usccb.org%2Fbible%2Freadings%2Fbible%2F1samuel%2F4%3A1&h=ATO2N8D-KAt_DXDVm2GNHaoZoJMQFg4W0dPBkmi8s3Qhu2DWooDUhZUJ_pZPIocY8wwi5KvFGWApMVmfaiq_5bbxfzkF9zqMuth5qpLAb6_Xpw4fC8o_nhA-AWO_onbUdx1rpnZO" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span class="_4yxo" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">1 SM 4:1-11</span></a><span class="_4yxo" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">, </span><a data-lynx-mode="asynclazy" data-lynx-uri="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usccb.org%2Fbible%2Freadings%2Fbible%2Fpsalms%2F44%3A10&h=ATPC6J68CmmHviyzDS9sVBd10rc__R4FVH-_FDhC5aMl-ceYe2gXdYfsQNHm8vl9xKebqcMX7t7_zziDCYbOr4MwVWok2y-PVg7Vi2zE0eJRIW1GwPu2KSFoBDXCt6gMC8M5dfYs" href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/psalms/44:10" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span class="_4yxo" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">PS 44:10-11, 14-15, 24-25</span></a><span class="_4yxo" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">, </span><a data-lynx-mode="asynclazy" data-lynx-uri="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usccb.org%2Fbible%2Freadings%2Fbible%2Fmark%2F1%3A40&h=ATNeFkyQKMmdgAreopiwhE4figFiKU3gzj48f53qVNkwsAPHlHQEJC8GMZrjmtzhI4Dw9DOHrpXKIIXwUrXA7YRnpNytlPGhGRHUNIKiy_1Qj-5Yzsq6JzLiQOuuHfjd9m2sP5FN" href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/mark/1:40" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span class="_4yxo" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">MK 1:40-45</span></a></div>
Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-20116441281126224552018-01-11T13:13:00.000-06:002018-01-11T13:13:23.421-06:00Free Gas!<div class="_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1d2129; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px auto 28px; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 700px; word-wrap: break-word;">
This morning on my way to Mass, Adoration, and Confession; I stopped to fill up the SUV. I swiped my card, looked at the screen, and it said: “Please lift handle and select grade.” That’s odd I thought. Normally it would have asked me for more info: credit or debit? Zip code? So I lifted the handle and began to pump. It started to slow down as it approached the $10 mark. It stopped, and I tried to pump more. Nothing. So I printed a receipt. I swiped my card again. Filled up the car. All while the second pump was going my inner mind confronted me with two different voices in my head: </div>
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<span class="_4yxp" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">“It’s a gift from God, take it and go.” </span></div>
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<span class="_4yxp" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">“But it’s not your money, not your gas.” </span></div>
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<span class="_4yxp" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">“But you are always praying for blessings, isn’t this what you want?” </span></div>
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<span class="_4yxp" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">“What if it’s a mistake? What if someone else ends up in trouble because of it?”</span></div>
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<span class="_4yxp" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">“Maybe it’s a promotion! Free gas for a random person!” </span></div>
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<span class="_4yxp" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">“Then shouldn’t I at least ask?” </span></div>
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I would like to say that those two voices were not in conflict. I cannot. What I do know is that in the end, I chose to discern God’s voice in all of it. The old, tired cliche “What would Jesus do” was definitely in my mind. I went in, told the lady behind the counter, and she explained that another girl had asked to pump there and had said it did not go through. I paid the $10, and the lady was very thankful, she would have had to come up with the money missing from the drawer at the end of her shift. Sometimes our ego tries to convince us that something is a blessing for us when it's a 'curse' for someone else. </div>
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Later I was doing some Lectio Divina before Mass on the readings for today. It struck me how apropos this situation was in light of what had just happened to me. Samuel heard God’s voice calling in the dark. He didn’t know whose voice it was until he began to discern, with the help of Eli, what was going on. This event led to a change in his life and a vocation that has shaped the world as we know it. In this world filled with darkness, the light of Christ still shines forth and has not been extinguished. He is calling us each day to be better than we were the day before, to be more like him. It is crucial that we listen to His voice, but also go to those people who He has chosen to help us as guides in our faith. </div>
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It is out of fashion to go to an elder or to a Priest for advice these days. Instead, our youth are taught to only go to their friends and ask for their help with problems. God can indeed speak through our peers, and through our friends. Yet, so can other voices that seek to drown out God’s calling to our authentic selves. That’s why discernment is so necessary! Not just in calling for Vocations in the Church but also in each decision we make in our lives. Only when we find the authentic voice of God, which leaves us with peace and joy, even when it means carrying a cross; will we begin to walk the path to our destiny. </div>
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What is our destiny though? The Eucharist reveals to us our genuine self. It is that gift, that Sacramental presence of Christ that helps us become fully human. The Eucharist renews and transforms us into what it is made of. It is through Christ living in us that we become more like Him, and less like the fallen humanity that so often surrounds us. How does that look? The Catholic faith, which the Athanasian Creed says solidly, that unless a man believes fully and firmly in all that it teaches, he cannot be saved. We must learn through faith in Jesus Christ, through the Church that He, Himself established, and be obedient to the words handed on by Him and His disciples. Make frequent use of the Sacraments. Remember that being called to Sainthood is not just for some elite spiritual person, but rather for every person who takes time to listen to the voice of God as Samuel did. </div>
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Take time today to go apart, in emulation of Jesus in the Gospel, who rose early in the morning and went to a place of silence for contemplation and prayer. Carve out some time for that intimate communion with God that you too may listen for that still small voice that will guide you to Holiness and Sanctity. Find an Adoration chapel, or sit before the Tabernacle at your Parish. I have a long journey ahead of me even to be close to Holy, but God willing, I am setting one foot in front of the other in the hope of His promises. </div>
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<span class="_4yxp" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">This is a reflection on the readings for Mass on Wednesday, The First Week of Ordinary Time, January 10th, 2018. </span>
<a data-lynx-mode="asynclazy" data-lynx-uri="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usccb.org%2Fbible%2Freadings%2F011018.cfm&h=ATPrJhxxEuOpc2AKHZWVwcmZ50B9xTPhnHzahmlzAdvHxCrZoK1E6yRbUFLOBEkseYPqiKRQbU0HeqK0H18_tWjBtzqS0rbnxucjFvUgwZw2bymL4w5jYscL3X-UY_WyCtgQ1wbB" href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/011018.cfm" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_4yxo" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time</span></a>
<span class="_4yxo" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">Lectionary: 307
Reading 1: </span><a data-lynx-mode="asynclazy" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usccb.org%2Fbible%2Freadings%2Fbible%2F1samuel%2F3%3A1&h=ATOvXY0SLoOpawQ_3IB-KA7J00KB9f01zpaKenRRXD7r8O6p7yKyvBsJcYjbaIj6J4ODPWPGMv2X3pzBBIkUptOGkrbzxaeBIW4NMGBZOCJOXpa3yOVzC6S-nV4XxQL6ZOWmcq2Z" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_4yxo" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">1 SM 3:1-10, 19-20</span></a><span class="_4yxo" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">
Psalm: </span><a data-lynx-mode="asynclazy" data-lynx-uri="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usccb.org%2Fbible%2Freadings%2Fbible%2Fpsalms%2F40%3A2&h=ATOtOIXSiCIJd5WdoCW-92YL-zzIONlKOpZxrMlSycNAy_EpF1hqpznTOQh-dOmnyRfabYJl5THlAGCJNlc_-Kp4_cpzFCmKBcZA-n9ExL5X3eGArM56tEs0ssbB4pAxPK4Ud10S" href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/psalms/40:2" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit;"><span class="_4yxo" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">PS 40:2 AND 5, 7-8A, 8B-9, 10</span></a><span class="_4yxo" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">
Gospel: </span><a data-lynx-mode="asynclazy" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usccb.org%2Fbible%2Freadings%2Fbible%2Fmark%2F1%3A29&h=ATOP5s6pJd4kkHE8km0Fpp_9g6MUOzA2ksRGKuZ6uOc9gn-i_WInxB_ajIf9hM7WdakJ4IitFsQeeuFGnVH6Mm_KYLXhsO12Yqm9xZgGCftqiAYWK3FmllH6ecKkmBiu7WtJ8d6g" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #365899; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_4yxo" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">MK 1:29-39</span></a></div>
Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-22155247630600413702017-12-26T01:51:00.001-06:002017-12-26T01:51:14.015-06:00Merry Christmas! Go forth, glorifying the Lord by your lives! December 25, 2017 - The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) - Mass at Dawn<br />
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/122517-dawn.cfm">The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)</a><br />
Mass at Dawn<br />
Lectionary: 15<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs5hx2hI-PXaiJGx7OgS7TfzbDt_5DXypcTtfN4iqZCtiZSxanmgtifIG19K2TpTfw9yDE2Uv7u3TlE3SBSgs2zvO5RclDdWv3Qg2lkxlKqKkd4hG0i6QACRA_fCv7ldYQjKVuzXXyS1c/s1600/The-Real-Presence-of-Jesus-in-the-Eucharist-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1026" data-original-width="1520" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs5hx2hI-PXaiJGx7OgS7TfzbDt_5DXypcTtfN4iqZCtiZSxanmgtifIG19K2TpTfw9yDE2Uv7u3TlE3SBSgs2zvO5RclDdWv3Qg2lkxlKqKkd4hG0i6QACRA_fCv7ldYQjKVuzXXyS1c/s320/The-Real-Presence-of-Jesus-in-the-Eucharist-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The Christmas season has begun. Catholics will be celebrating the birth of Christ in a special way for the next 16 days, culminating the season with the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord. It is a way of reminding us that every day is a chance for Christ to be born in our hearts, and for us to become little Christs to change a world much in need of His presence. We gather together on this day each year to exchange gifts, join in fellowship, and of course to feast on the wonderful gifts of food that God has given us. It’s about so much more than that though. It’s primarily a day of worship. A day that reminds us to stop and truly appreciate what God did for us in the Incarnation, when divinity and flesh became one. <br />
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There is a beautiful prayer that is said during Mass that reminds us of the truly beautiful mystery that we Christians celebrate. “By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” The two things became one. The water in its natural state, provided by God himself, represents the human condition. It’s simple, plain. The wine represents the divinity of Christ. It is rich, aromatic and pleasant. The idea here that is being taught is that though a drop of water touched divinity, divinity was not diluted. The water became part of the wine. This is a reminder that when we receive Christ in the Eucharist; body, soul, and divinity; the Eucharist does not get absorbed by our humanity, but rather our humanity is being changed that we too might be able to share in His divine attributes: eternal life.<br />
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I think often we forget how we should react to that. All of those present at the moment when the shepherds came to see the baby Jesus in the manger, they were amazed at what was said. Sometimes we get into a habit of just receiving. We forget who it is we are receiving. What the gift of communion truly is. How that when we look up at that small wafer of bread we are seeing all of the power that created life, created the universe, created all things that exist. We are gazing upon God who has come to be a part of us. Then when we receive it, if we are in a state of grace, we are filled with even more graces to allow us to live out our Baptismal calling and the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we received at Confirmation. <br />
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How then should we react when we participate in this most blessed Sacrament of the Altar? The same way Mary did when she heard the news from the shepherds. First and foremost we should “<u>keep all these things, reflecting on them in our hearts.</u>” We should spend time studying our faith, the Scriptures, and our Traditions. We should meditate on them to understand exactly what it is we believe, and why. Our faith does not end behind those doors. When we leave the Sanctuary to go out into the world, the Priest or Deacon proclaims, “<i>Go in peace, glorying the Lord by your lives.</i>” Part of that means being ready and willing to give a testimony as to our faith, as to why we believe what we do. <br />
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Secondly, we must react as the shepherds did upon seeing the newborn king. Remember, you are looking upon Christ in the Sacrament. You are encountering Him in Confession, the Eucharist, Baptism, Confirmation, and if you are married, in Holy Matrimony. Those lucky enough to be ordained are servants to the body of Christ, configured to Christ the Priest, or Christ the Servant, to reach out to the body to help both the Ordained and the Laity encounter Christ again in each other. The shepherds though reacted thusly: “<i>Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.</i>“ They went back to their normal life, but they didn’t go back unchanged. They instead went back full of joy, full of hope, and proclaiming a message that something beautiful had just happened, something new. The world would never be the same again.<br />
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As we approach the calendar New Year, we celebrate so many beautiful feasts that remind us again and again of this Gospel we have been entrusted with. From the celebration of the day Jesus was circumcised, and shed His first drops of blood in the plan of our redemption, to the day when He was baptized and began His public ministry proclaiming the kingdom of God; we are taught what it means to be Christian. That is, that we are to be Christlike in our own lives. To follow in the footsteps of His disciples, the Apostles, and Mary who gave us the ultimate example of discipleship: a complete and utter surrender to God and His plan, even at the risk of her own pain. <br />
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I pray for each of you, my friends, my family, my Parish, and even my online readers: May God grant you a particular grace this Christmas to experience Him in a way that grants you consolation, in a way that reminds you of His great love for you. May you be filled with the Holy Spirit, may He descend on you as tongues of flame to invigorate you and give you courage. God’s blessings be upon you, your family, and your friends this day and forever more. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. <br />
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Merry Christmas!<br />
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His servant and yours,<br />
Brian Mullins<br />
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<i>He has showed you, O man, what is good;</i><br />
<i> and what does the Lord require of you</i><br />
<i>but to do justice, and to love kindness,</i><br />
<i> and to walk humbly with your God?</i><br />
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Micah 6:8 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)<br />
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Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-46185364947419242582017-12-15T23:48:00.002-06:002017-12-15T23:55:58.780-06:00Gaudete! Rejoice! <h1 dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.08; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 3.75pt 22.5pt 5.25pt 0pt;">
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<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=IS+61%3A1-2A%2C+10-11&version=RSVCE" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">IS 61:1-2A, 10-11</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=LK+1%3A46-48%2C+49-50%2C+53-54&version=RSVCE" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">LK 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+THES+5%3A16-24&version=RSVCE" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">1 THES 5:16-24</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=JN+1%3A6-8%2C+19-28&version=RSVCE" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">JN 1:6-8, 19-28</span></a></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6476a14-5de1-6dee-bace-06b20992adf4"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This Sunday is Gaudete Sunday. It comes from the beginning of the intro to Mass for that day that begins “Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete.” In English, we translate that to mean “Rejoice in the Lord always: again I say, rejoice.” That simple phrase is a powerful reminder of what we should be doing as Christians. Rejoicing. Being so filled with joy that it’s obvious that something is different about us, that something has happened. When we look back at the disciples after the Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord, and it’s obvious that something happened. After Pentecost these men who were scared to even go out into the world, scared that the same thing that happened to Jesus would happen to them, were marching boldly proclaiming their faith. All of them but one went to their graves as Martyrs still expounding the truth. Something happened. </span></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-c6476a14-5de1-6dee-bace-06b20992adf4"><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the Responsorial Psalm, we see the response of Mary when Elizabeth is speaking to her during the Visitation. The babe John had lept in the womb recognizing the Lord in the presence of Mary, His mother. Elizabeth asked questions that we can all learn from still this day, “How is it that the mother of the Lord has come to me?” Then Mary responds to everything that is going on. Remember this is a young girl who is pregnant before marriage. She is thirteen or fourteen years old. Instead of giving into the fear that is so easily seen from her circumstances, she responds with the prayer we know today as the Magnificat. A prayer of thanksgiving and praise to God for what He has done, and will continue to do for her for all generations. Mary gave to us, and to God, a gift that had never been given. Whereas Eve had eaten of the fruit and said “no” to God and His plan, Mary stood up and gave her </span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fiat</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, her unconditional yes to the plan even if it meant discomfort, pain, and heartbreak. Mary lived her life showing that something happened. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That is something I myself have to work on. The last few days have been difficult for me. My pain levels have been high. I have been seeing a lot of anger and hate from people on Facebook, including some difficult conversations that have left some hurt and distraught. How do I handle this situation where my life becomes difficult? Where it is hard to see God in the circumstances at hand? The second reading is clear in that: “</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” It’s easy to give thanks for the good times. To praise God with thanksgiving and joy when a friend is cured of an illness, or a loved one makes it through surgery. When a child is born healthy and well. How much more difficult when someone dies? When a friendship ends? When the money that you expected to be there is not, and the creditor has no sympathy for you? That’s when faith is most important. A faith that shows that I too have experienced Him, that shows that something happened! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like John crying out in the wilderness, you and I are tasked with the mission of proclaiming and pointing to the Light that was born into this world through the Incarnation of our Lord. It’s not an easy task. It’s not one that we ourselves can ever do on our own. It’s a difficult and messy thing. Conversations will be had that are on difficult topics. Abortion, euthanasia, sex outside of marriage, chastity, and more. Friendships can be tested in those moments. What do we do with these conversations? We listen. We try to understand. We offer hope. Then we do as St. Paul instructed, “</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.” We examine everything offered to us and test all things based on Tradition, the Holy Scriptures, reason, and logic. Then we move on and try to love. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Love does not mean accepting and approving of sin. Nor does it mean demeaning someone who has sinned as if they are inhuman or not worth anything. It means judging actions and not souls. Looking at the action of abortion without condemning the woman who made that mistake. Journeying with the person carrying the cross of Same-Sex Attraction, while at the same time teaching about chastity, what Holy Matrimony is, and why it is one of the seven Sacraments. Above all it means going to our knees before our Lord, Jesus Christ, in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar, and asking Him to lead us in our words, actions, and deeds. St. Teresa of Calcutta said, “God does not require that we be successful only that we are faithful.” That is a simple and profound truth that all of us must remember. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So to all my friends and family, I wish you a wonderful Advent and a Merry Christmas. To those who are struggling with a cross, I pray for your strength and discernment in how to carry it and how to draw close to the Lord. Know that I accept you as you are, and love you for who you are, but love you too much to keep silent when I believe you are making a mistake. I want you to be in Heaven with me, and oh how I hope and pray that I myself will be able to carry my crosses and deal with my sins so that God willing I shall be there at all. I will close with the words of St. Paul as written to the Thessalonians, who says it in a more eloquent and beautiful way than my poor mind can formulate: “</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May the God of peace make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” This is my prayer for all of you this Advent Season. Remember these simple words: “</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”
So are you doing it? Are you living your life this Advent in preparation for Christ? Does the world look at you and wonder, "What happened?</span><br />
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Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-89377577752048461822017-12-09T06:27:00.001-06:002017-12-09T06:30:50.963-06:00The Princess and the Pea<h1 dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.08; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 3.75pt 22.5pt 5.25pt 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Reading 1 : </span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/40:1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">IS 40:1-5, 9-11</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Responsorial Psalm: </span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/85:9" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">PS 85:9-10-11-12, 13-14</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Reading 2:</span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/2peter/3:8" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">2 PT 3:8-14</span></a></div>
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It took a great deal of my adult life before I realized what it truly meant to love another person. Growing up I had no idea what a Sacrament was. I did not know that Holy Matrimony was a channel of grace through which God made it possible for two people to begin to love each other unconditionally. It wasn’t until I began to research the Catholic church that I stumbled upon this teaching and my eyes were opened to the problems I had been having in relationships. Then watching Julie, my precious wife, love me completely even at my worse. It changed for me what love was.<br />
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In the first reading from Isaiah, it talks about comfort. “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.” For most of my life, I would have told you that being comfortable meant being free from pain. It meant having enough money to buy whatever you desired. Comfort was having plenty of food to eat and enough soda to make it through a long night of computer gaming. It wasn’t until after I had my spine fused, twenty-six bolts screwed into the vertebrae, and six feet of titanium rods inserted into my body that I began to see a new vision of what comfort truly was. <br />
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Comfort is having no wrinkles in the sheet when your back is so sensitive that you feel like the “princess and the pea.” It is found in having a wife who smoothes those sheets every time you move because you keep causing the wrinkles yourself. Comfort is your spouse walking by your side, helping you take painful step by step, to make sure you don’t give up and stop moving. It is in waking up from another drug-induced stupor, where you are trying just for a moment to hide from the pain, and finding that welcoming face of the woman who isn’t leaving you for being less, isn’t leaving you despite your bad mood, your inability to care for yourself, and despite the fact you feel like less of a man because you may never be able to provide for her again. True comfort comes from watching her work hard, long hours to continue to provide for the family long after many others would have walked away.<br />
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As we journey together through this Advent season, crossing into the Second Sunday, remember that is what Christmas is about. God is offering you a new Exodus, a journey from the slavery of sin, into the life of a child of God. Like my wife, who has shown me more than any other human what it means to be like Jesus, He is constantly waiting for you to just open your eyes and see that He has never left your side. He offers you a relationship deeper and more intimate than any relationship you have ever had. One in which you receive all of Him, nothing held back, Body, Soul, Blood, and Divinity, in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.<br />
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I think that is part of why we Catholics are so intent on preserving Holy Matrimony. It is more than just a document, more than just a relationship between two people. It is life creating! It is inviting God into your lives in order to bring about new life, to bring Comfort, to bring the graces necessary to even hope to live a life that looks like the one my wife has shown to me. We Christians are the Church, the Bride of Christ. He offers us that same relationship. He also calls us to be His Body in the World. Take some time this Advent to pray, go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, ask yourself how are you showing comfort to others? How can you be more like Christ? How can you let Him be born into your heart so fully that when others lift their eyes from yet another stupor brought on by the drugs of this world, they see Him waiting to lead them out of it? Then, go and be that person.<br />
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Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-23888389896056728702017-12-06T06:15:00.001-06:002017-12-06T06:15:08.548-06:00Firmly on the Rock of Humility<h1 dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.08; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 3.75pt 22.5pt 5.25pt 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reading 1: </span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/26:1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">IS 26:1-6</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Responsorial Psalm: </span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/118:1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PS 118:1 AND 8-9, 19-21, 25-27A</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gospel: </span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/7:21" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MT 7:21, 24-27</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t believe in coincidences. So when last night I was actually thinking exactly of that moment and my brother in Christ, Dave Womac, began to pray for our safe departure from class with words that spoke of humility and emptying ourselves, I knew God had put that on his heart for that very moment. Then when I got up this morning to begin meditating on tomorrow’s readings I knew instantly that a theme was beginning to emerge, the theme that Advent should bring about in all of our lives. Yes, humility. Isaiah proclaims this morning that “He humbles those in high places, and the lofty city he brings down; He tumbles it to the ground, levels it with the dust. It is trampled underfoot by the needy, by the footsteps of the poor.” It almost seems arrogant in and of itself for me to begin to think that God wrote these words with me in mind doesn’t it? Yet, I do believe that is how He operates. Why? Because it’s only in becoming “poor in spirit” that we can truly begin to get out of the way and let God operate through us. It is only in preparing an empty manger, a simple dwelling that has nothing else cluttering it up, that we can create an altar worthy of Christ, and Christ alone, in this temple that God has created in our hearts. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I believe that truly the rock foundation of our faith is exactly in humility. That is why I believe that being called to the Diaconate is so foundational to who I am as a man. A servant. Someone who is called to exemplify Christ in my actions and words. It is when I try to build on my own abilities, not in humble recognition of the talents and gifts that God has given me to share with His Body and build up His Church, but rather as the basis for my calling that I realize how much sand and straw are all the things that I have to be proud of. Everything I have is from Him. It is only worth something because He is the source, the creator who endowed me with those gifts, and the rock that I must build my faith on is that truth. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">C.S. Lewis once wrote in the Screwtape Letters this following statement attributed to one of the senior devils in advice to the young tempter: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your patient has become humble; have you drawn his attention to the fact? All virtues are less formidable to us once the man is aware that he has them, but this is especially true of humility.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” Today is the feast of St. Ambrose, a man who once ran when they asked him to become Bishop because he knew he was not worthy. Then when they insisted and installed him anyway, he spent his life studying to show himself approved. Learning the truth of the Scriptures, reaching out to the poor and marginalized, and fighting heresy with gentle words, sound reason and logic. I know my mistake always occurs when I begin to think “I am starting to be a little humble.” There is an old joke that I used to tell flippantly, but it illustrates this: “They gave me the most humble pin in high school. Then took it away because I wore it.” Humility is the basis of all the virtues. But be careful, “Lord teach me humility” is one of the most dangerous prayers you will ever pray. Opportunities to learn to be humble are not often pleasant. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So let us pray with Enzler and with Dave Womac, a man who truly inspires me to be better, this beautiful prayer from</span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Everyones-Way-Cross-Clarence-Enzler/dp/1594714304" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Enzler’s Way of the Cross: </span><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My Lord,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I offer You my all--</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">whatever I possess,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and more, my self.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Detach me from the</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">craving for prestige,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">position, wealth.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Root out of me</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> all trace of envy of my neighbor</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">who has more than I.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Release me from the vice of pride,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">my longing to exalt myself,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and lead me to the lowest place.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">May I be poor in spirit, Lord,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">so that I can be rich in</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTmqRxTOGP2Cy7-GtC7akF3ISFr9C-GUHTvHQp-9606984w_UKCXaB3oxns9v_0PmkR25YZFk5LSDFf3jO4FV9aNOWy0aCRIwniQQRkmhT9wkzdz8pKnMOaTJBoYXp2UdqqwyIo8ousQ/s1600/mother-teresa-quote-humility.jpg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="480" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTmqRxTOGP2Cy7-GtC7akF3ISFr9C-GUHTvHQp-9606984w_UKCXaB3oxns9v_0PmkR25YZFk5LSDFf3jO4FV9aNOWy0aCRIwniQQRkmhT9wkzdz8pKnMOaTJBoYXp2UdqqwyIo8ousQ/s320/mother-teresa-quote-humility.jpg.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-80993669421724829272017-12-05T04:11:00.000-06:002017-12-05T04:11:36.184-06:00Baking Cookies and singing songs. <h1 dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.08; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 3.75pt 22.5pt 5.25pt 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 15pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120617.cfm">December 6, 2017</a></span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wednesday of the First Week of Advent</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lectionary: 177</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reading 1: </span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/25:6" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">IS 25:6-10A</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Responsorial Psalm: </span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/23:1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PS 23:1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6</span></a></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-9427a1ac-2621-e424-a8f4-0e1362892c18"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gospel: </span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/15:29" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #008061; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MT 15:29-37</span></a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif2a4ULt9a_4C27FT2xoOBNZgVgGSyfrGw4xls1kdmvmhvSFGpx0DtemRDnHTCwOc_NitvW7V5WEfgHlge7HjlOiF1P4UkVfenfirBCAdMBPcxB5KCNj0llAo9gL2U9I1_T_gzhGazivo/s1600/brbreadoflife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="664" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif2a4ULt9a_4C27FT2xoOBNZgVgGSyfrGw4xls1kdmvmhvSFGpx0DtemRDnHTCwOc_NitvW7V5WEfgHlge7HjlOiF1P4UkVfenfirBCAdMBPcxB5KCNj0llAo9gL2U9I1_T_gzhGazivo/s320/brbreadoflife.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
As we begin our travels through this season of Advent it seems that the excitement is palpable, tangible. My own excitement for the celebration of the birth of Christ is only amplified by that of my children who have been listening to Christmas music, baking dozens of cookies, and simply looking forward to gathering with family for the holidays. Likely most of us in America will take this opportunity to overindulge in food and drink, but the one thing we seem to do a good job of is gathering together around a table. The table is something we have lost in many homes as the gathering place of family, instead, it being the television if there is a gathering at all. It’s good that we take this opportunity to once again gather around the food that has been prepared so skillfully and just spend some time cherishing one another and reminiscing of the many things that have happened throughout the year. <br />
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In the first reading, we again see this beautiful image of a banquet where everything is rich and decadent. A feast set for those who waited patiently, enduring till the end. "<i>Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us! This is the LORD for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!</i>" Imagine the sense of urgency and desire that the Israelites had for the Messiah at the time of Jesus birth. They had been enslaved in Egypt, then again by the Persians, the Babylonians, and now the Romans. Every time they thought they were on top of the world, someone came in and knocked their feet out from under them. The promise of a Prophet, a Davidic King, who would come in and restore Israel to its former glory would be so cherished and longed for. Much like a child waiting for Christmas day to open their presents, it would be hard to wait! Then comes Jesus of Nazareth who gives us a very different image of the Messiah, the one who suffers and dies for our sins, that we might have life everlasting.<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #5c5c5c; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1000 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #5c5c5c; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This "how" exceeds our imagination and understanding; it is accessible only to faith. Yet our participation in the Eucharist already gives us a foretaste of Christ's transfiguration of our bodies:</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #5c5c5c; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just as bread that comes from the earth, after God's blessing has been invoked upon it, is no longer ordinary bread, but Eucharist, formed of two things, the one earthly and the other heavenly: so too our bodies, which partake of the Eucharist, are no longer corruptible, but possess the hope of resurrection.</span></div>
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In the Gospel, reading we see Him performing a miracle that we Catholics see as a foreshadowing of the Last Supper. Jesus takes their limited resources and he multiplies them into something powerful. Seven loaves of bread become enough to feed four thousand, with a great deal left over. While we should indeed be excited for the return of Christ and to pray longingly for the day when He will come again to redeem all of creation, we should also be longing for the Eucharistic feast in which Jesus once again multiplies our meager resources. Taking simple bread and wine offered by the people, he turns them into a feast that no one is worthy to consume, and then He invites us to gather around that table. A feast that isn’t just at the end of time, isn’t just on Sunday, Christmas day or Easter. The wedding feast of the lamb has begun and it is offered to us at every single Mass where we the Body and Blood of our Lord is offered to us as food for the journey. In that small host is the power of God that promises to “destroy the veil that veils all peoples, The web that is woven over all nations; he will destroy death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces; The reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.”<br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-7cc7c7ec-261f-e2d4-f89e-18627b1abbe4" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #5c5c5c; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1329 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #5c5c5c; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Lord's Supper, because of its connection with the supper which the Lord took with his disciples on the eve of his Passion and because it anticipates the wedding feast of the Lamb in the heavenly Jerusalem.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #5c5c5c; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #5c5c5c; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #5c5c5c; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breaking of Bread</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #5c5c5c; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, because Jesus used this rite, part of a Jewish meal when as master of the table he blessed and distributed the bread, above all at the Last Supper. It is by this action that his disciples will recognize him after his Resurrection, and it is this expression that the first Christians will use to designate their Eucharistic assemblies; by doing so they signified that all who eat the one broken bread, Christ, enter into communion with him and form but one body in him.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #5c5c5c; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #5c5c5c; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #5c5c5c; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eucharistic assembly (synaxis)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #5c5c5c; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, because the Eucharist is celebrated amid the assembly of the faithful, the visible expression of the Church.</span></div>
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Do we treat the Eucharist with the reverence and honor it is truly worthy of? One of the things that we are reminded to do during this season of penance and preparation is to get to confession. We are fortunate enough at our Parish to now have a Priest who is available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation before every Mass. Take a few minutes, this season especially, to get to Mass a few minutes early. Go see Jesus before hand to confess and have your sins forgiven, make a true act of contrition with an honest effort to not fall into sin again, and then step forward with trust and faith to receive Him who brings life and mercy. Yes, Jesus was born 2000 years ago into this world. Yes, He died and rose again, ascending to Heaven to be seated at the right hand of the Father. And, yes, He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. In the meantime, He comes to us each and everyday in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar to give us the strength needed to continue this race, this spiritual battle we are fighting for the salvation of souls. Are you ready? Get ready. Be ready. Stay ready.<br />
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<br />Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-13583184250341475142017-12-04T16:10:00.001-06:002017-12-04T21:13:27.898-06:00Do you hear what I hear? <h1 dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.08; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 3.75pt 22.5pt 5.25pt 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 15pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120517.cfm">December 5, 2017</a></span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reading 1: </span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/11:1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">IS 11:1-10</span></a></h4>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Responsorial Psalm: </span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/72:1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PS 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17</span></a></h4>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gospel: </span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/10:21" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LK 10:21-24</span></a></h4>
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<tr><td class="text" style="color: #5c5c5c; font-size: 10pt;"><b>672 </b>Before his Ascension Christ affirmed that the hour had not yet come for the glorious establishment of the messianic kingdom awaited by Israel which, according to the prophets, was to bring all men the definitive order of justice, love and peace. According to the Lord, the present time is the time of the Spirit and of witness, but also a time still marked by "distress" and the trial of evil which does not spare the Church and ushers in the struggles of the last days. It is a time of waiting and watching.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Birth is difficult. Anyone who has watched someone be born knows that. Those who have experienced it first hand can probably give you much better details than I can. What I do remember is when my nephew was being born, his mother went through one of the hardest labors I had ever seen. Her hands became cramped, her face was lax as if she had a stroke, and she was screaming in pain. I remember being in the chapel of that little hospital praying earnestly for deliverance and a safe birth. Thank God there are doctors, nurses, and midwives who know how to help when things get to this point. That is what we who are preparing for the birth of Christ anew in our lives must keep in mind. The Church is that midwife, that doctor. It gives us the grace we need to be able to see with new sight, hear with new ears. Isaiah says </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">our delight will be the fear of the Lord</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+peter+5%3A8&version=RSV">Isaiah 11:3</a>). The fear of the Lord has fallen out of favor in many Christian denominations these years. They want the therapeutic loving Jesus without the judge of mankind coming at the end of time. They want the new spirit born in them, without the travails of mastering their own passions and desires with mortification, fasting, and prayer. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="text" style="color: #5c5c5c; font-size: 10pt;"><b>1299 </b>In the Roman Rite the bishop extends his hands over the whole group of the confirmands. Since the time of the apostles this gesture has signified the gift of the Spirit. The bishop invokes the outpouring of the Spirit in these words:<span class="textsm" style="font-size: 8pt;"></span><br />
<dl><dd>All-powerful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,<br />
by water and the Holy Spirit<br />
you freed your sons and daughters from sin<br />
and gave them new life.<br />
Send your Holy Spirit upon them<br />
to be their helper and guide.<br />
Give them the <b>spirit of wisdom and understanding</b>,<br />
the spirit of <b>right judgment and courage</b>,<br />
the spirit of <b>knowledge and reverence.</b><br />
Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence.<br />
We ask this through Christ our Lord.</dd></dl>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What then are we to make of this beautiful image in the old testament? I think the key to understanding it is in that interesting list of attributes for him who the Spirit of the Lord rests upon. If you look closely they are the gifts of the Holy Spirit as the Church teaches we receive in the Sacrament of Confirmation. It is through the use of these gifts and helps that the Church helps us to deliver Jesus into our world. If we use them Jesus will not just be in us but will be active in the world, recreating Creation as it were in every thought, word, and action we perform. That’s what it means to pray at all times without ceasing. To be the hands and feet of Jesus in a world full of predators, full of lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! We are called to be not of this world, but to see with the eyes of Jesus. With eyes of mercy, love, and redemption. Then Jesus will say to us as He says to the Apostles in today’s Gospel: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”(<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke+10%3A23&version=RSV">Luke 10:23</a>) That is eyes that see Jesus Christ alive and well in the world, the Kingdom of God active right before our very eyes, in the least of these, our brethren. </span></div>
<br />Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-174110292196646002017-11-11T20:16:00.002-06:002017-11-11T20:16:21.979-06:00On to Candidacy, One drop of oil at a time. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemGP7C5XfPO1P8tnuyB19NoGxuU4nyIcun2AyvnHiHPD2xQo6oGH1UUIokvrnbcsN1qOu9gP_2mGG2_ZouHsydoyp-QEH0jxu7m9j_5plFh4jmjKVr2fnk-igc1ws9Hw_i8DOfDMzV3E/s1600/oil-lamp-modern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="700" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgemGP7C5XfPO1P8tnuyB19NoGxuU4nyIcun2AyvnHiHPD2xQo6oGH1UUIokvrnbcsN1qOu9gP_2mGG2_ZouHsydoyp-QEH0jxu7m9j_5plFh4jmjKVr2fnk-igc1ws9Hw_i8DOfDMzV3E/s320/oil-lamp-modern.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is nothing like feeling unprepared. This morning as I got up I went through my mind at how unworthy I am as a man. I am not the most educated man. There are men out there with Ph.D.’s who speak many different languages, some languages that aren’t even spoken on this planet anymore. Men and women with much more eloquent voices, who are more attractive, more charismatic, and more holy than I have ever hoped to be. The devil has a way of making us so very aware of our flaws. I am so aware of those. So aware of them that I even had nightmares this week of being stuck in a confessional during communion, unable to find my way out. Just running in circles unable to get out from behind this wall of sin that I just never can seem to break. Yes, I am a sinner. A fallen man who needs Jesus and all of those wonderful Sacramental Graces that He has given us just to even have a hope to get to Heaven. </span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-4d876fa3-adfd-801f-3f67-2d0d9bb1bce5" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today’s Gospel reading speaks of those virgins who came unprepared, they had their lamps but forgot the oil. They sat outside the gates trying to get the other virgins to give up their oil, but if they had they too would have been lost in the darkness. They had to wander off into the town to try and find the oil. I think that is telling right there isn’t it? Here they are outside the gate of Heaven and where do they go to try and find fuel? Where do they try to find the source of the light that can even hope to give them holiness? Into the world, they go. Instead of waiting at the gate with the others, instead of trusting that God would provide them everything they needed, they left. How often do we ourselves do that? Do we question if our lamps are full enough? Do we look to others to fill them for us? Or even look to worldly things to try and fulfill the desires of our hearts that only Jesus Christ can fulfill? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I prepared to lector for Mass tonight the first reading really struck me as completely appropriate to today. What are we seeking? Those men who have discerned a calling to ordination and today have been officially recognized by the Church as candidates to be ordained in 2020? Wisdom is high on our list. Wisdom doesn’t hide in a corner, it isn’t something hard to find. It’s a gift that God sends out to find us. When we get up and head to the gate to seek her, she’s already there waiting. All we have to do is open ourselves to God and He will fill our lamps. Where are you getting your oil? Confession? The Eucharist? The sacramental grace of your Marriage? Are you accessing the oil poured out on you in confirmation? The grace He has given you at Baptism? Oh if only we realized how much oil is already in our lamp ready to burn. I feel like today Jesus said, “I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!” (Luke 12:49) </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today when I said I do, not only did I feel the weight of those words, not only did I realize the cross I was picking up, the yoke that I was taking onto my shoulders… there was a lightening of load. A relief. A peace. I went to confession afterwards, and then to Mass. At Mass I cried a little. Like most men I tried to hide it, maybe unsuccessfully. Why? I don’t know. I do know this. I want to be at that gate, with a lamp full of oil. I want to be ready for the feast. I don’t want to be outside with Jesus proclaiming “I do not know you.” My heart would break. It breaks a little even thinking of it. That dream I had, the one where I couldn’t get out of the room to find Him in the Eucharist, knowing He was just on the other side of the wall… that was one of the scariest most vivid dreams I have ever had. How about you? Do you want to journey with me? Let’s become Saints together. One step at a time. One drop of oil, one drop of pure water, one Sacrament at a time. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Please pray for these men, they are part of the gifts that God has given to me to help me. Their wives as well, for they have shown me what it is to be truly holy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Victor and Rosario Solis</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px;">Tim and Mallory Pignatari</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px;">Bob and Nikki Collins</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Greg and Jeri Farrell</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Bill Kearley</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Mark and Vivian Ennis</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Jamie and Sandy Schilling</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Jose and Maria Aguilar</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Dave and Eileen Womac</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Neal and Maureen Carpenter</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Stu and Kathy Dobson</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Steve and DeAnne Besetzny</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Mike and Karin Alber</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Brian and Julie Mullins</span></span></div>
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Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-88605499213943217572017-10-24T06:21:00.002-05:002017-10-24T06:23:54.492-05:00I am Batman. Are you a vigilante too? <h1 dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.08; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 3.75pt 22.5pt 0pt 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 15pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">October 24, 2017</span></h1>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/romans/5:12" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ROM 5:12, 15B, 17-19, 20B-21</span></a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/40:7" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PS 40:7-8A, 8B-9, 10, 17</span></a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/21:36" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LK 21:36</span></a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/12:35" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LK 12:35-38</span></a></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We are never guaranteed tomorrow. When we lose someone we love this comes to us in an abrupt way, almost a slap in the face. Many years ago when my grandfather passed away I didn’t go see him in the hospital that time. He had been in so many times. I had gone many of them. I eventually got used to the call that he was in there, and then the one that he was back home. I meant to stop in that day. I even thought about it as I drove home from work, but I was so tired. So tired that I turned off my turn signal and decided to come tomorrow and see him instead. I think part of me was afraid to face him in the hospital knowing this might be the one. It was hard to see him slowly fading away. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The gospel then reminds us of what that looks like. It is not a life of just forgetting what Christ has taught us and living however we want. Not a life of sinfulness and hedonism, but one in which we examine ourselves daily to see where we stand. It tells us to be vigilant and oh boy do we have to be! One look at the television shows of this age, the news and the rampant pornography on the internet, and any Christian knows that the devil is on the prowl seeking whom he may devour. How do we stop him? By throwing ourselves at the mercy of God first and foremost, but also taking concrete steps to avoid sin. Putting our computers in public places where others can see what we are doing, cutting off access to the channels that give us images that trigger any inordinate desires, even getting rid of them if need be. Jesus in his one parable says to cut off our hand if it offends us, and yet many would balk at getting rid of Cable TV or HBO. </span></div>
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Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-6023489020447739422017-10-07T16:55:00.001-05:002017-10-07T17:09:32.745-05:00The Blind Leading the Blind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/isaiah/5:1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">IS 5:1-7</span></a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/psalms/80:9" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PS 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20</span></a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/matthew/21:33" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MT 21:33-43</span></a></h1>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjE1Id8CrPpisdY9f64FmrrAjVShyLmrovQ_3Ii3SaJY1KtN9XctADPuuaUj6uAQuaX9izx91JvgZG6kIFiT0BuRufGbaONBY68Atvc6ukgfBlmy8csSE9DZE6TjEHPzheizZ06pogB0/s1600/foto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLjE1Id8CrPpisdY9f64FmrrAjVShyLmrovQ_3Ii3SaJY1KtN9XctADPuuaUj6uAQuaX9izx91JvgZG6kIFiT0BuRufGbaONBY68Atvc6ukgfBlmy8csSE9DZE6TjEHPzheizZ06pogB0/s320/foto.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After we left the hospital in Chicago Friday, Julie and I walked for about an hour back to Union Station to catch a train back to Elgin. The stress of driving in downtown traffic had begun to weigh on me. The hour-long walk back and forth was well worth not having to go bumper to bumper for the same amount of time, sometimes more, with people yelling, beeping their horns, and throwing up pleasant finger salutes at my skillful driving. I try to pay attention to the people in the area as I walk. I don’t know if it’s paranoia or my fascination with watching others, maybe even a combination of the two. Shortly into our walk, I noticed a woman standing on the corner of an intersection turning slowly. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then I heard her calling out “Someone, please. I just need some help. I need some directions.” I don’t know downtown at all. I informed her of that. I noticed she had a dog with her. Julie hadn’t noticed that I had dropped out of step with her and was walking ahead of me. I asked the lady what I could do to help. She wanted to find her way to Michigan Avenue and all she wanted to know is which way was East, or at least which way the Lake was from here. That would help her figure out where she was. I told her I think the lake was behind me. That didn’t seem to help. I couldn’t figure out why I was confusing her. I figured it was because my directions weren’t making sense. I told her Julie was good at figuring out directions and would be back soon. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Julie came walking back and I explained the situation. She pulled out her phone and pulled up a map. We both began to make motions to the street signs, the phone etc. The lady asked, “Are you showing him or me?” At this point, I figured I should stop pointing too. I thought she was getting upset that we were both talking at the same time. Julie said I’m showing you. The lady laughed. “That won’t help. I’m blind.” Everything began to make sense. The reason my directions weren’t helping? I was talking about landmarks, pointing at buildings, motioning this way or that. I’d point and say Over there by that sign. So I told her that if she would follow the direction I was standing in, it would get her to Michigan Avenue. She said that didn’t seem right, but she was going to trust us. I walked on with Julie and when I got to Michigan Avenue, I turned around and waited. A few more minutes and here came the lady with her trusty pup. I called out to her, “Michigan Avenue is the street right in front of you.” She thanked me, turned to the right and started walking confidently as if she knew exactly where she was now. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the Gospel for this Sunday, we see Jesus talking to people with a parable that two thousand years later, after his death and resurrection and the establishment of the Church, makes complete sense. I wonder if the men listening to him stood dumbfounded like me wondering what on earth he was speaking about? The imagery of the vine probably made sense. Easy enough for an observant Jew versed in the Torah to get that image of Israel from what he was saying. The prophets, Kings, Judges, and so forth they probably got as well. What about the landowner sending his Son? The Son being killed? The owners being kicked out and new owners taking over? That would have been a very strange message. A hard one to hear, a scary one maybe. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like me standing on the corner in Chicago, I was just as impaired as the lady I was trying to help. I had a lack of vision to the situation. Even though the clues were right in front of me. Cataracts on her eyes. The specific harness on her seeing eye dog. The way she moved when I spoke. All of it should have given me a clue that she couldn’t see well at best, and likely had no idea where I was pointing. It wasn’t until my “eyes were opened” that I was able to see clearly to help her. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think that’s part of the message of this parable to us now, 2000 years later. Even today we miss Jesus because we don’t open our eyes to the people right in front of us. He might be standing right in front of us and the clues are right there. Until we look back on them, we just don’t see him. We don’t take the time to really look at what’s going on and why. Luckily Julie had enough patience to come back and help me to meet Jesus in this woman in Chicago, who then helped us to help her. How often do we fail to find him though? Do we like the owners of the vineyard refuse to accept the message he has for us in our lives? </span></div>
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Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-32628594650332715062017-09-06T14:02:00.002-05:002017-09-06T14:08:39.180-05:00What does it mean to be in ministry?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The last few months at our Parish have been marked by some difficult transitions and changes. The diocese has required that all volunteers take a program called "Protecting God's Children" before continuing and for many this was the "last straw." Then I hear others complaining about the burden that has put on them, as they notice their name more and more frequently in the slots on the upcoming Masses. It is definitely trying, especially for those of us who are more introverted or have busy lives to take on more and more tasks. The problem I think that underlies all of this is we seem to think of ministry as another job, something we do.<br />
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Ministry is not something we do, it's who we are. It's a calling first and foremost. The Priest doesn't just take on a job, he becomes something more. The Deacon does not just become a more involved layman, he becomes a deacon. I would challenge that any ministry at Mass does not give us a new set of jobs, but rather reveals who God creates us to be. Yes, I definitely know there is a difference between the ordained ministries and those of the laity. Ordination configures us to Christ in a way that changes who we are. Much like the bread and wine we believe is not just a symbol, but the substance is changed... ordination changes a man. It configures him to Christ in a special way. I am not trying to lower that concept or change it. I believe it whole heartedly. </div>
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What is important to note though, is that all of us are made in the image of God. That same God who created us calls us to serve through the example of His Son, Jesus Christ. To serve using the particular set of gifts and talents that we have been given, not to become just like someone else, but to realize who we truly are. Being a greeter is not something you take on because you want recognition, or because you want a "job" to do at Mass... it's because you feel God calling you to use your gifts, your smile, your generous ability to praise others, the warm handshake you have always had, to be the face of Jesus as they arrive at Mass. Lector involves using your voice, your ability to remember, and your skill full use of eloquent speaking abilities to speak the Word of God to those gathered around. It's to be the mouth of Jesus. </div>
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Every single ministry at Mass, and I would challenge all Christian ministries of the world, are the same thing: they are revealing who God created us to be. The real you. The authentic you. The you that Christ died for on the cross. So no, lectoring at Mass every weekend of the month is not a burden on me, it's a privilege. Yes, my frail humanity can be stressed by the thought of doing it constantly. Let me do it. It's who I am. We need people like you. Every single one of you that is Baptized into the body of Christ is called to serve His Body. You have a unique set of talents, gifts, and abilities that no one else possesses in the exact formula that is you. So don't think of this challenging ministry as something that is burdensome or tiring... think of it as an opportunity to be closer to Christ in every single way. </div>
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Pray each and every day that God will reveal to you where He wants you to serve. Then realize that Protecting God's children is not about you, or about the Priest, or the insurance... it's about the kids. Are my kids worth your hour? Don't you want to know how to make sure that whoever hurts a child gets put into a place where they can't do <span style="background-color: #f6d5d9;">it</span> again? Then go out and join that ministry, be the person you were created to be, and realize that being in ministry does not only happen behind the doors of the Church building, but it is who you are. It is the most authentic expression of who you were created to be, in the image of God. Special. Unique. Fearfully and wonderfully made. </div>
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Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374188875785694831.post-51253961913951321032017-08-30T14:22:00.004-05:002017-08-30T14:25:56.885-05:00Click here to get your free ticket!<h1 dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.08; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 3.75pt 22.5pt 0pt 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 15pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">August 30, 2017</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time</span></h1>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lectionary: 427</span></h1>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/1thessalonians/2:9" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 THES 2:9-13</span></a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/psalms/139:7" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PS 139:7-8, 9-10, 11-12AB</span></a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/matthew/23:27" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #008061; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MT 23:27-32</span></a></h1>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZrlNtEg9SVYe1DfM37vVvVtMEOY2LdcI6vhKSUgs1BhnvKDapTh2zv3gEmm3ZWlmGU9LRcCms_gfWACeY7iElcXqwalTXxrGStb60wl991VEFme7-mKgeSCyRJheVAUff7koIQwtyvQ/s1600/myticket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="1254" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAZrlNtEg9SVYe1DfM37vVvVtMEOY2LdcI6vhKSUgs1BhnvKDapTh2zv3gEmm3ZWlmGU9LRcCms_gfWACeY7iElcXqwalTXxrGStb60wl991VEFme7-mKgeSCyRJheVAUff7koIQwtyvQ/s640/myticket.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A friend I know was given one of those automatic coffee makers that take a little cup and turns it into a steaming cup of fresh, gourmet bean water. It was a little dirty so they spent some time cleaning it up. After some polishing, some general purpose cleaner, and a few cups of hot water they put it on the counter and there it sat gleaming waiting for the first use. A few days later a smell began to fill up the house. At first, we didn’t know what it was. Eventually, we narrowed it down to the coffee maker. The outside looked great. The coffee itself seemed ok. The smell that came out of that thing? No one would want to put that in their body. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus today talks about one of the greatest problems with Christians in today’s society, likely in all time periods. That many of us are just like that coffee maker. We spend our time at Church on the weekend, we clean up our act outside, and to the rest of the world, we look like really good people. The inside never changes though. The tombs that Jesus spoke of were decorated on the outside to make them look expensive, beautiful and clean. Inside though was the rotting and decaying corpses of those who had gone on, swelling and stinking in the heat of the desert sun. Just like that coffee maker, they were producing things that looked like healthy, yummy cups of expensive brew, but what was really coming out was dark and rotten. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The problem is that so many people try to do the change alone. Yes, you have to work at change. It won’t just happen overnight for most. In a world where racism is still very much alive and people defend the right to murder innocent, unborn children, it can seem like we are lost. Pornography has now become a mainstay of television and new evidence shows that our children are being exposed to hardcore porn as young as six years old. How then can we hope to stand alone? We don’t have to. We have been given every tool we need to clean up the inside, especially as Catholics who have Confession. Not only do we get the guarantee that He himself gave the Apostles that whose sins you forgive are forgiven, but we receive extra grace to help us keep it clean and wholesome inside. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So are you making use of that? The grace and Sacraments were given to us through the Church to help us not only begin to look more like Christ on the outside but the very presence of Christ inside of us changing us to look like the image of God we were created to be. If you haven’t been in a long time, maybe now is time to start thinking about it. One of the more beautiful things our new Pastor has done is begin to offer Confession before every single Mass. That means every day of the week someone is hearing confessions. It’s available in English, Spanish or even Polish. What are we waiting for? An invitation? I just invited you. Come join me, I need it too. </span></div>
Brian Mullinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16460844123472720171noreply@blogger.com0