June 29th, 2017
Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
Mass during the Day
Lectionary: 591
ACTS 12:1-11
PS 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
2 TM 4:6-8, 17-18
MT 16:13-19
Sometimes our own minds can be a prison so secure that no one else can free us. In today’s reading, we see Peter bound not just once but with doubled chains to hold him in bondage. Here we have the unclothed man bound between two guards. Even in the physical realm of things, this seems hopeless and full of despair. How can this man without his garments slip away when the guards are right at his side? Not just a singular chain to bind him but double the subjugation of that which held him in place. Then the angel appears and frees him, clothes him again, and leads him safely through the dangers that lurk in the night.
This reminder to us of the spiritual battle at hand is one that I think even more apropos in today’s society. There are many who would keep you bound and in darkness, unable to express your joy or happiness. If you do not conform to the norms of what others decree to be acceptable, and instead adhere to what God has given you as revealed truth, then you will be pushed away and relegated to a corner. The enemy wants to bind you in your doubts and fears, trying to make you feel naked and alone in the darkness of your mental cell. This is what we face each day if we allow it to happen.
God reminds us that He will deliver us from any darkness, from any prison. To pick up our cloak of dignity, a dignity that comes from being made in the image of God and is not earned, and to place that cloak proudly upon your shoulders and march out of that inner turmoil. He equips us with the Gospel of Peace to shod your feet that we might be sure in our calling and joyful in our lives. What does this look like? Just take the example of Peter. This man who had failed so miserably, left alone in a prison, was delivered from his bondage. He who had denied Christ three times was declared the “Prime Minister” of the Church and given the keys of authority and great responsibility of feeding His sheep. By the standards of the world, Peter should have been rejected and held as least. By the standards of God, He who lowered himself in humility would be raised to the highest of places.
That is His plan for you as well. All you need to do is let Go and let God. Like Peter and Paul, God uses those the world would find least likely to succeed to be examples of His Glory and His love. Don’t let Satan put you in darkness and bind you with falsehoods and lies. You are loved!
His servant and yours,
Brian Mullins
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my rock, and my redeemer. - Psalm 19:14
In the first reading we see this very intriguing event. Ezra has stood up in front of the people and read to them the Law of God. As he read it to them they begin to weep and cry. They were sad, scared. They heard all the things they were supposed to be doing and realize they were so far from that. Was there any hope? Ezra comforts them and says get up, God is good! This is a day Holy to the Lord. It's a feast. Go eat and enjoy!
Sometimes we have that reaction ourselves. Jesus gave us the beatitudes to remind us that the ten commandments require detachment. They require humility. They require being more like Christ. When we hear that.. when we are honest... sometimes we want to fall down on the ground and say.. I'm not worthy. Who am I but a worm? A sinful man, unworthy of your grace, unworthy of your love. Satan helps with that doesn't he? He whispers in your ear "remember that thing you did? Remember those words you said?" He wants you to think you aren't worthy.. he wants you not to accept God's mercy, God's love.
We have to be careful not to get to where God's mercy is never great enough. We have to avoid simply having hellfire and brimstone preaching without the immense love and mercy of God. God is not a hateful tyrant, stomping around upstairs just waiting for you to make a mistake. He's not up there with an eraser, glaring in your direction like that teacher who hated you... just hoping he can erase your name from the Lamb's book of life. No, he's a loving Father. He has to chastise because he is just and true, but he takes no savor in doing so. He does not hope you will fail.. he longs for you to soar with the eagles.
At the same time we have to avoid God becoming buddy Jesus. We cannot see God as only love without justice, only mercy without righteousness. He is both and, not either or. He offers the grace, but if we do not accept it, he is bound by who he is, by his own very nature, to have no choice but to punish us. We choose that, you know? God never chooses bad for us, but how often do we out of our own sinful ignorance and concupiscence choose that which is not for our own good? Too often.
That's why Jesus came to die for us. To make us part of the Body of Christ. Each of us is entirely and utterly unique. No one can do anything like you can do it. No one has the same skillset, same thought patterns, same exact life... only you are you.. and God loves you entirely. So much so that he wants you to be a part of His body, a part of Him. He wants us to work together to form one working organism... with millions of unique jobs to be done. He's calling you to be a part of that.. To be a part of His Church, because it needs you. Somewhere there is a job to be done... whether in the church itself through Holy Orders, in the service at the mass, or out in the world witnessing with your work ethic and joyful attitude.
How do we get there though? On our own we have trouble always being joyful, don't we? We are supposed to be bringing life into the world.. but too often we bring the opposite. We tear down. We yell. We get angry. The Key is in the responsorial Psalm. You're words, Lord, are spirit and life. There it is.. the key.. The Word of God is life itself... It is in receiving that Word, in internalizing it, in allowing it to change us.. that we become more like God.. we become life givers, not takers. We become lights, not darkness. That doesn't mean you lose your uniqueness. God doesn't make you into another clone, another zombie... he says to you, You are my unique child and I love you. I don't expect you to do things the same as everyone else.. but I long for you to share my life giving love with others in your own unique way.
He has given us the beatitudes to follow. To show us how to be that life giving person. These call us to detachment. They call us to righteousness. They call us to love.. But more importantly they call us to Christ. They describe perfectly the man of Christ. They describe Christ on the cross. A man who was happy. A man who was detached. A man who cared for others, despite his own circumstances. A man fully given to God's will and mission, while still being completely unique. They very Son of God.
It is in receiving Him, Christ, that we can even hope to have the grace of taking up our own unique crosses. We as Catholics believe that the Eucharist is that person. It's not a thing. Not an it. Not just bread. Rather, it is truly the substance of Christ, Body, Soul and Divinity. When we go to Mass we are truly receiving the Living Word of God. We get fed from the table of the Sacred Scriptures and the table of the Sacrifice of the Mass. Two liturgies, one table. Two different bites, one single dish. Heaven kisses earth and we are lifted up to be with God, with the Angels and Saints in Heaven. We come into God's presence, we are brought face to face with Christ on Calvary.
I imagine for some that's as shocking as what Jesus did in the gospel when he proclaimed to the people that He was who Isaiah spoke of 400 years ago.. the Christ.. the Messiah.. the one to liberate the people. Then, he backed it up. He performed all those things which he read about.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
That promise was not just to them... but to you and I. He comes to us today in the Eucharist and says to you: Are you poor? Is your spirit lacking? Is there something you need in our relationship? Let me fulfill you. Are you captive to some sin? Is there something in your life holding you back from giving yourself to me 100%? Let me free you. Are you blind to my love for you? To my presence in your life? Is it too hard for you to see my hand at work in your life? Believe in me and I will open your eyes. Are you oppressed? Is there something pushing you down? Is your own ego or addiction a tyrant keeping you from accepting my mercy? My child let me be your salvation.
Today is the Sabbath, the daily Holy to the Lord. I challenge though that all days, all moments, every second.. is Holy to the Lord. God himself entered time in the person of Christ and through his presence has sanctified to God every thing. Every moment was created for you. Every second of your life a gift. Christ came to proclaim to you a lifetime of forgiveness. A lifetime of freedom. A lifetime of joy and gladness. Are you ready to accept it? Are you ready to be filled with joy? Start with the Eucharist today. Live the beatitudes. They will draw you closer to Christ and Christ will show you that indeed, "Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."
It's almost as if Christ is singing to you that Old Jim Croce song:
If I could save time in a bottle The first thing that I'd like to do Is to save every day till eternity passes away Just to spend them with you
How about you? If you could save every moment of your life in a bottle.. and relive them... would you relive them for God? The Bible is our love story.. Christ is our lover.. we are the beloved... Is he enough for us? Every time we choose something else... well, we have become spiritually poor. We have become blind. We have become oppressed. We have become idolaters. Even then.. even when we have fallen once more... like a concern parent he reaches out to us and tries to help us up... and he calls out.. and says.. I still love you.. come back to me. I am right here.. I have come to bring liberty, freedom, and joy... let me free you and love you.
We hear it constantly. People quote to us "judge not lest you be judged." Their intention is that we should not judge anyone else's sin but rather let them live however they want, and they'll take it up with God later. There are two flaws with this logic. First and foremost, they stop quoting that passage where it is convenient.
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Notice that it begins with admonishing people not to look at anyone else's sins when they are living in sin themselves. Someone who is looking at pornography at night in his room alone should not be judging someone who they find out has been drunk the next day. It also reminds us to judge with mercy, and kindness. The 'measure we give will be the measure we get.' If we judge harshly? So will we be judged. If we judge with great mercy and understanding? So will we be judged. That's an important note....
But the most important thing is that at the end of this verse Jesus tells us "then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." What does that say? It says that judging is something we must indeed do. But as John reminds us, we are not to judge by appearance, but with righteous judgement. Why? Why would Jesus instruct us to judge others? Isn't sin just a personal thing? Isn't it between me and God alone? After all David said "against you alone have I sinned."
The thing to realize though is that we are Christians, and as such we have a theology of the Body of Christ. We are one body. Once we are baptized into Christ we are one living organism, one creation. We are the Church. St. Paul says it wonderfully when he compares us to body parts and
reflects that just because one body part says to the other "I don't have need of you" it doesn't remove the reality that it's still part of the body.
Think of sin as a cancer. Cancers always start with one cell type. They originate somewhere. The lungs for instance. Lung cancer is a horrible condition. It tears the lungs apart first. Yeah, if you are the lungs and I am the heart.. why do I care? It's your cancer. The problem with a cancer is it spreads. It doesn't just remain in one spot.. but eventually if untreated, begins to eat away at the entire body. In the south there is a saying for someone dying of cancer, "She's plumb eat up with it." It may have began with only one organ, one spot.. one member of the body.. but it hurts the entirety of it. Eventually causing other parts of the body to be cancer riddled too until it tries to kill the body.
The second is that sin is never a private matter. We may hide it. We may do it behind closed doors. We may only do it when no one else is around. It still affects our lives. It still changes us, and spreads. Look at our society itself. 2000 years ago it was unheard of to be an adulterer. Now we have entire reality shows dedicated to watching men and women cheat on each other. The more sin we accept, the more it spreads, the more it draws society (and its members) toward death. That's why Saint James tells us "confess your sins one to another." I believe sincerely that is also why Jesus gave his apostles the power and authority to forgive sins. Today we have confession, where that same authority is being used freely to forgive us when we fail; with the condition that we are trying to do better. Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.
Romans 14 is one of the most amazing chapters, to me. It tells us something about today in a way that still holds true. In order to get to that point I want to give you some insight into my own spiritual journey.
For many years I was a member of a church where obedience to the word of God took a literal, fundamental stand. We had to be 'sinless' and if we were caught sinning, well weren't really saved in the first place. So for years I punished myself for every mistake I made, thinking if I were truly saved, truly a child of the King I would be able to withstand sin on my own. I'd be able to make changes in my life that were lasting, and would never be tempted again.
Then I had this startling realization. I realized that I wasn't under the law! God showed me that I didn't have to follow the law, that everything is permissible. That I could do whatever I wanted, as long as I had faith in God. So for about four years, I did just that. I drank, and I smoked, I partied, and I cussed. I watched bad television, listened to even worse music. All because I knew that I was no longer under the law.
Then God opened my eyes to something else. Something I had been missing all along. We hear it in church all the time. Faith without works is dead. Yet works do not get me anywhere? So why would I do them, I'm already saved? What is the point of works? Love. We do works not because the law tells us to, but because we Love God, and we love our neighbor. We go out and we help others, not because it increases our standing with God, but because, it's simply the right thing to do.
As Christians we should be consumed with that thought. A few years ago we had the movement of bands on your arm that said WWJD. What would Jesus do? It was a beautiful movement because it reminded us as Christians we are not under the law, but we follow the law because Jesus would!
Then one day I thought to myself, I've finally found it. I'm right! My beliefs are right, they were wrong before! Then God said to me, if someone thinks they need to eat meat... they should eat meat. I wasn't right after all but I was where God wanted me to be. I was growing in faith. As is everyone else. You see I grew up being taught that the Catholic church was an abomination. That people there followed Mary as God, and worshiped Saints!
God brought a catholic into my life. She was a beautiful woman, with three beautiful children. She had this faith that kept her from needing to ask the questions I was always asking. She asked saints to pray for her, much like she would ask me to pray for her. It was a beautiful thing that taught me a lesson about judging someones faith.
It's all about faith, you know? God gave Abraham righteousness, not because he was circumcised, not because he attended church, not because he did this or that.. You see Abraham was the first and God was teaching him as he went. He started out with just faith, and God counted that as righteousness! The same with you and I! It is still about faith, faith in Christ! However, if saying a rosary brings you closer to God then by all means say the rosary! If staying at home and having your own communion brings you closer to God, then by all means do it!
You see God doesn't want you to come to him being forced into a mold, he'll mold you himself. He knows where your faith is and what you can handle. He knows where mine is as well. He even wants me to do things that encourage your faith, that help build you up. Arguing about whether or not we should interpret the Bible the same or receive the same revelations doesn't edify, it tears down. Do not force someone to give up their meat, or give up their wine, or not to marry.. because that's not the what we are taught! Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
We could easily rewrite that, Let not him that prays the rosary, pray him that does not; and let not him which does not pray the rosary, judge him that does.. because God has received him.
God chooses who goes to heaven, not us. If someone loves Jesus, gives his life to him, believes that through him he will be saved. We are supposed to be one body, one family in Christ. Let's stop arguing over the things that divide us and remember the one Truth that cements us as a family.
So when was I right? At what point did I find authentic faith? You see I was right the entire time. It was a spiritual journey, meant for me. My faith the entire time was placed directly in God. Keep your faith there, and he will lead you on your own journey. He will show you what is right to believe, and what YOU are supposed to believe and when. We grow in Christ, not into.
In Christ,
Brian
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